paul pletka, Our Lord, The One Who is Flayed 2004

                                         

Paul Pletka, Our Lord, The One Who is Flayed (2004)

at the Phoenix art museum

This is the best quality i have seen this amazingly detailed picture taken with t1i 

at the phoenix art museum by yours truly.

“Our Lord, The One Who Is Flayed” by Paul Pletka 2004 acrylic.  For me it was a very memorable piece because of its size, the content and also the saturated colours.  The colours themselves i think were made more intense because of the complementary  colors. There is alot of what seems to be a orange-red on the curtains which seems to make the tourquise which is used on the ladder seem to jump out.  The lightness of the teal makes it jump out much more than the green cross even though the cross is right next to the reds probably because the shade of green is quite dark.  i find that the skin tones used are not overly saturated but are more or less accurate.  Most of the foreground and textiles are more saturated and the back wall not so much saturated. I would say that overall this is a warm painting.

I also find the content quite interesting.  Who knows? but The Christ in the painting seems to be the one from the Judeo-Christians or is atleast representing him. The plaque on the painting reads INRI which is the acronym in latin which translates to Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews, Which according to The bible pilate ordered to be written in 3 languages when Jesus was being crucified hebrew, latin and greek.  But this painting is not just about The Christ of the christians but it merges it with an Aztek diety Xipe Totec or Our Lord the Flayed One. These two figures though may have some similarities are quite different in my opinion. One one flayed and stabed and another wore the flayed skin of others. Looking closer it almost seems that the Jesus figure is wearing a flesh mask though i cannot be too certain. Another interesting thing in the incredibly detailed painting is the purple cape which on it depicts missionaries preaching to the natives  from a book with a cross, holding a cross, in front of a giant cross, ontop of a scene of some conquestodor looking soldiers on horse back stabbing someone.