Electronic Madonna Explication
Electronic Madonna makes her debut! Measuring 4 feet wide and 5 feet tall (when the loose canvas has been stretched over a frame), this is a big girl with a big message. I am not sure what exactly inspired me to paint an android as a Madonna figure. Perhaps I wanted to go in a very different direction from my previous painting, which was quite classical in both appearance and symbolism. Mostly, I suppose, I wanted to consider those things we do in an attempt to be human. As this figure came to life, so to speak, on the canvas, it struck me that she seems to be almost desperate in her quest.
Instead of holding pearls or a rosary, this woman holds Mardi Gras beads. Not as elegant as pearls, but just as loaded with symbolism. For example, their colors are important. Purple represents justice, green represents faith, and gold represents power. Three worthwhile concepts that should be held close. They could even be said to be the basis of her religion. They are also plastic. This means obviously that they are cheap, but plasticity can mean several things. On a positive note, it implies flexibility. On the other hand, however, plastic objects are considered to be fake, artificial and even insensitive. All of these attributes can be applied likewise to the Madonna. Beads are, of course, decorative. When this idea is carried to the extreme, they can be symbolic of one’s need to please others or to strive for perfection. What then does it say that she is holding a handful of them?
She also casually holds a snake, an image that invokes fear in many because they are unpredictable and can strike at anytime without warning. I wanted the snake to hint at the android’s animal nature, or in this case, her lack of it. She must carry it around with her. Conversely, with its ability to shed its skin, the snake also represents the hope of transformation.
Also within her grasp are a couple of phone chargers. This to me seems like a strange attempt to never lose vigor and life energy, a reminder that an android is dependent on an exterior source, and that she must repeatedly be revitalized. This leads also to a sense of isolation from others. And while only the glow of the telephone is readily visible in the image, the phone chargers are referential to that form of communication and represents the android’s relationships with others--also in this case, disconnected.
Across the Madonna’s left arm there is a bouquet of roses. The plants are there to represent fertility, spiritual development, potential and growth. They may also indicate a desire to be closer to nature. According to Freud, the rose represents the female genitalia. This makes sense as the snake is a phallic symbol. Unfortunately, these roses are plastic. This is not obvious at first, but if you look closely, there is one lone Dollar Store tag still attached to a stem. (Hmmm… once we note this, can we avoid wondering if that is a rubber snake?)
There are, however, some realistic plants in this image. There are some vines around the tops of some of the fence posts. These quickly growing plants indicate that time is passing swiftly, and perhaps even passing the Madonna by--she will soon be an obsolete model.
The choice of color is always deliberate. Consider the background. The magenta represents compassion, while blue is tranquility, openness, truth and wisdom, and purple is the color of royalty and dignity. All of these cool colors lean toward a nighttime palette and are a backdrop to set off the iron fence behind the android. All fences are barriers. They can symbolize a need for protection. If the condition and construction of the fence are analogous to her emotional state, this fence is very open, providing little privacy, letting us know that the subject is willing to let people in. In this case the fence is behind her, which leaves her with only one path, going forward. The fact that it is iron implies a certain harshness. This is further reinforced by the barbs at the top and bottom, which are somewhat camouflaged as a decorative design element. Keep in mind that iron can also be a symbol of strength and endurance.
pple branches hang from the fence forming a kind of wreath about the Madonna’s head. The apple tree is often a symbol of grandeur and magnificence, while the fruit universally symbolizes knowledge. But these apples are doomed to dry out hanging from their branches on the fence. In fact, they have been further doomed as slices have already been cut from the plumpest ones. Perhaps this is to underscore the temptation often associated with the apple?
The stained glass surrounding the Madonna’s head like an aura, signifies enlightenment, as though she seeks guidance from a higher source. The dominant colors are blue and yellow, calling to mind freshness, and the pattern is one of stylized flowers. But really isn’t this just another example of fake flowers and decoration? Note also that the stained glass window obscures more than it reveals. And it is laced onto the fence with a vine, almost as though the vine has naturally grown there, and yet the viewer knows this is impossible.
Between the uprights of the fence, there are a series of barely visible human skulls--another hint that this robotic woman’s ultimate dream is to become human. But that is not her only dream. Note the “electric sheep” that is perched at the crown of the aura. While the sheep is partially pixelated, the viewer is more inclined to think it is degenerating rather than emerging. In many ways this is indeed a dark painting, leading the viewer to doubt that Electronic Madonna will ever totally achieve her goal.
Instead of holding pearls or a rosary, this woman holds Mardi Gras beads. Not as elegant as pearls, but just as loaded with symbolism. For example, their colors are important. Purple represents justice, green represents faith, and gold represents power. Three worthwhile concepts that should be held close. They could even be said to be the basis of her religion. They are also plastic. This means obviously that they are cheap, but plasticity can mean several things. On a positive note, it implies flexibility. On the other hand, however, plastic objects are considered to be fake, artificial and even insensitive. All of these attributes can be applied likewise to the Madonna. Beads are, of course, decorative. When this idea is carried to the extreme, they can be symbolic of one’s need to please others or to strive for perfection. What then does it say that she is holding a handful of them?
She also casually holds a snake, an image that invokes fear in many because they are unpredictable and can strike at anytime without warning. I wanted the snake to hint at the android’s animal nature, or in this case, her lack of it. She must carry it around with her. Conversely, with its ability to shed its skin, the snake also represents the hope of transformation.
Also within her grasp are a couple of phone chargers. This to me seems like a strange attempt to never lose vigor and life energy, a reminder that an android is dependent on an exterior source, and that she must repeatedly be revitalized. This leads also to a sense of isolation from others. And while only the glow of the telephone is readily visible in the image, the phone chargers are referential to that form of communication and represents the android’s relationships with others--also in this case, disconnected.
Across the Madonna’s left arm there is a bouquet of roses. The plants are there to represent fertility, spiritual development, potential and growth. They may also indicate a desire to be closer to nature. According to Freud, the rose represents the female genitalia. This makes sense as the snake is a phallic symbol. Unfortunately, these roses are plastic. This is not obvious at first, but if you look closely, there is one lone Dollar Store tag still attached to a stem. (Hmmm… once we note this, can we avoid wondering if that is a rubber snake?)
There are, however, some realistic plants in this image. There are some vines around the tops of some of the fence posts. These quickly growing plants indicate that time is passing swiftly, and perhaps even passing the Madonna by--she will soon be an obsolete model.
The choice of color is always deliberate. Consider the background. The magenta represents compassion, while blue is tranquility, openness, truth and wisdom, and purple is the color of royalty and dignity. All of these cool colors lean toward a nighttime palette and are a backdrop to set off the iron fence behind the android. All fences are barriers. They can symbolize a need for protection. If the condition and construction of the fence are analogous to her emotional state, this fence is very open, providing little privacy, letting us know that the subject is willing to let people in. In this case the fence is behind her, which leaves her with only one path, going forward. The fact that it is iron implies a certain harshness. This is further reinforced by the barbs at the top and bottom, which are somewhat camouflaged as a decorative design element. Keep in mind that iron can also be a symbol of strength and endurance.
pple branches hang from the fence forming a kind of wreath about the Madonna’s head. The apple tree is often a symbol of grandeur and magnificence, while the fruit universally symbolizes knowledge. But these apples are doomed to dry out hanging from their branches on the fence. In fact, they have been further doomed as slices have already been cut from the plumpest ones. Perhaps this is to underscore the temptation often associated with the apple?
The stained glass surrounding the Madonna’s head like an aura, signifies enlightenment, as though she seeks guidance from a higher source. The dominant colors are blue and yellow, calling to mind freshness, and the pattern is one of stylized flowers. But really isn’t this just another example of fake flowers and decoration? Note also that the stained glass window obscures more than it reveals. And it is laced onto the fence with a vine, almost as though the vine has naturally grown there, and yet the viewer knows this is impossible.
Between the uprights of the fence, there are a series of barely visible human skulls--another hint that this robotic woman’s ultimate dream is to become human. But that is not her only dream. Note the “electric sheep” that is perched at the crown of the aura. While the sheep is partially pixelated, the viewer is more inclined to think it is degenerating rather than emerging. In many ways this is indeed a dark painting, leading the viewer to doubt that Electronic Madonna will ever totally achieve her goal.