Dreamt of in childhood: a golden sun with an anxious face at its centre -part Louis XIV, part private myth. First seen at the age of eight and never forgotten, this image followed the artist across decades and through multiple incarnations. Wrestling with Angels is its final, most distilled form.
At the centre is a solitary face, drawn from a model made in 2000 - a childhood self portrait , lost, expressionless, surrounded by painted rays of gold. But the gold deceives. Its gleam falters. The illusion of light, of volume, breaks down under close scrutiny. The figure offers no comfort. It does not notice. It does not console.
Exhibited:
Mark Alexander Wrestling with Angels, Gemäldegalerie, Berlin 2016
Royal Academy Summer Show 2018
Further reading:
The Art of Colour by Dr. Kelly Grovier, Thames & Hudson
Interview:
Interview with Bernd W. Lindemann, Director of the Gemäldegalerie and the Bode Museum, discussing Wrestling with Angels and its art-historical influences. 2016
