I AM NOT MY BODY # 5 | Mona Lisa / Mon Salai
Voor Nederlands KLIK HIER
THE MYTH OF MONA LISA
The myth of the Mona Lisa is that she was not a woman, but a man.
Leonardo da Vinci always liked to surround himself with beautiful young men and had a relationship with his student and model named Salaì, who lived with him for over 30 years as his muse and artistic inspiration. It is said that Salaì was also his lover, but homosexuality was forbidden in his time. Perhaps Salaì was the keeper of Leonardo's erotic fantasies.
Sketches and paintings show similarities between the appearance of Salaì and The Mona Lisa.
And it is suggested that the title is an anagram for 'Mon Salaì' (My Salaì).
Salaì received the painting The Mona Lisa as an heirloom when Leonardo died.
We will never know for sure, but because of this myth I gave the Mona Lisa the body of a young man. This work was created exactly 500 years after Salaì died. To me, this feels like a beautiful recognition of their forbidden love.
ZELFPORTRET SALAI
CREATION PROCESS
This work was an exciting creative process with moments where I found it shocking to see how I was transforming the Mona Lisa into a man. A conviction arose in me, which brought uncertainty and doubt. Fear of all possible reactions came to me. Nevertheless, I continued with much patience, perseverance and above all curiosity. Gradually I got used to the image where she had become a he and was surprised because this person had become such a beautiful and strong young man.
Original paining:
Mona Lisa
Leonardo da Vinci | 1503 - 1506
PORTRETTEN VAN SALAI, DOOR LEONARDO
PURCHASES
This series is produced in a limited edition of 17 copies. If you would like to purchase this work, or the entire series, this is still possible. Click on the 'order' buttons below for more information.
OUR BODY
ONS LICHAAM
The first thing that stands out in this series of six works is that the people in these world-famous paintings, such as Vermeer's Milkmaid, are naked. Because these iconic personalities are naked, they are partly stripped of their personality and you suddenly see 'ordinary' people of flesh and blood. Nevertheless, the title tells a different message about the body.The title is therefore the starting point for creating these works, and is essential for the message:
I am not my personality
I am not my body
I am Spirit
INFINITE CONSCIOUSNESS
With this work I am telling you that you are not a body. You are the observer of the body. You are not a 'little I' that dies after one minute or 100 years as a bag of skin and bones. You are infinite consciousness that experiences through the temporary 'vehicle' that is our body.
By identifying with our body and our personality, we deny our true Self. With this expansion of consciousness I want to give with this work the invitation to allow a greater area of possibilities and probability than is visible.
HISTORY OF ORIGIN
The series ‘I am not my body’ came about thanks to an invitation I received to participate in an exhibition with the theme ‘nude’. This forced me to think about this subject that initially did not inspire me. The only meaningful path I wanted to take was to tell the ‘naked truth’. Who are we really in essence: we are not the body, we are spiritual energy. The question of how she could portray the phenomenon of ‘Spirit’ within the theme of nudity kept me busy for months. In the end, it was an inspiration that came to me just before I fell asleep: to strip world-famous paintings of their clothing, and with it of a piece of their identity. To my surprise, I did not find a comparable concept on the internet.
PAINTING WITH PIXELS
With great patience and precision I created this series on the computer in Photoshop. I did this by building up dozens of layers on top of each other. So it is digital craftsmanship at pixel level. The prints with high-quality inks are printed on special paper and look like artisanal oil paintings. When you look at these naked masterpieces, the original paintings will evoke a completely different emotion afterwards.