In Tony Mafia's work there is a clear religious or rather spiritual quest. One will see Jesus Christ depicted as a human being. Tony painted many crucifixions, with the cross and the halo’s red with blood and human suffering. A pregnant Eve offers apples for sale in the church portal while the believers kneel in the background, praying to the Madonna. “The garden of Eden”, the painting in the Southern Baptist church in Chloride” Christ” is shown as a carpenter's son with grapes in his hand, always with the pain of a human being. “The Prophet and the book” is a painting in which the unicorn and the lusty satyr have their place next to the prophet sending embryos into the world. Indian Spirits, Angels, a god feeding the dancer, crucifixions, it are all expressions of a deeply doubting religious feeling. Hidden Crucifixion, is the painting above and the crucifixion is actually hidden in the lovers embrace. Note the difference in the paint and feel between the two paintings. The Hidden Crucifixion was painted in Hoboken and the Fool in Chloride.
This painting was done after meeting a young, recently divorced pastor and is called Jesus Christ and the Fool
2 comments:
I have noticed that every Mafia self-portrait looks like Christ.
And his every portrayal of Christ looks like a self-portrait.
Did he (or I) succumb to the myth?
Was there really a Tony Mafia? Did he really live way back in the olden days?
No matter, what's important is that he lives today.
i am that divorced preacher i watched every stroke of the brush as he painted this peice and NO he was not the christ,Tony had no messianic complex, by his own words he told me "I am the fool." he ehlped me know what afool iwas and for that i am grateful.
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