Corcoran College of Art and Design
Corcoran Gallery of Art
Shadows of History
Upcoming Exhibition
Shadows of History: Photographs of the Civil War
February 4–May 6, 2012
San Miguel
Travel with the Corcoran
Discover the world's treasures on art-themed trips to Havana and Trinidad, Cuba, and San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

Works On View

Please note: Some of the works from the Collection displayed on this page may not be on view in the Gallery. If you have a question about whether a particular work is currently on view, please contact Visitor Services at (202) 639-1798.

Bookmark and SharePhotography & Media Arts

Madonna and Child II
Andres  Serrano (American, b. 1950)

Madonna and Child II

Artist
Andres  Serrano (American, b. 1950)

Title
Madonna and Child II

date
1989

medium
Cibachrome print

size
40 x 30 in.

credit line
Gift of Carolyn S. Alper

Accession Number
1991.46

 

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.