Existing comment:
Sanctuary
Dorothea Lange interviewed the subjects of her photographs and often wrote detailed captions to accompany her images. This photograph's notation reads, "Mexican mother in California: ‘Sometimes I tell my children that I would like to go to Mexico, but they tell me, We don't want to go we belong here.'" The hardships that migrant mothers face is universal, transcending borders and cultures. So, while this subject's statement was made nearly a century ago, it still resonates with many families today.
The Madonna figure appears in different forms throughout Hung Liu's oeuvre as seen here and in Madonna, 1992. In making this painting, Liu attached a gold leaf oval to the canvas, referring both to the halo of the Virgin Mary and child in Renaissance paintings and, in a more culturally specific sense, to the Virgin of Guadalupe. The round shape also highlights Liu's interest in combining Catholic and Buddhist symbolism. Circles, for her, represent many things, notably hope, communion, and sanctuary.
Oil on canvas with gold leaf, 2019
Collection of Hung Liu and Jeff Kelley, courtesy of Turner Carroll Gallery, Santa Fe, NM |