| The Madonna and Child appear in Serrano’s photograph as a clouded yet radiant
symbol of the Mater Amabilis, the maternal Virgin Mary embracing the Christ child.
Submerged in a luminous amber liquid that diffuses light and softens details,
the small figurine appears greatly enlarged, composed to emphasize the infant’s
gesture as he turns to his mother. Just left of center, a mucilaginous bubble
connects the child’s forehead to his mother’s cheek, evoking a corporeal,
in-utero connection, as if the two, held tenuously by the gluey spume, wait together
in the womb for uncertain deliverance. The consuming colors—fiery yellows
and oranges—saturate the photograph, invoking associations with heat
and flame. The overall effect is one of paradoxical tranquility, striking an
uneasy
balance between immersion and immolation, a moment at once still and inflamed. . . .
- April Watson, Curatorial and Exhibition Assistant in the Department of Photographs
National Gallery of Art, Washington |
Text excerpted from A Capital Collection: Masterworks from
the Corcoran Gallery of Art.
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