Madonna Complex II 22
Andreas Reutz
Watercolor — 2021
Unique Artwork
Artwork sold
The artwork was sold for NOK 6,500
Co-owners received 85.71% return on their investment.
31 x 23 cm
The artwork
Madonna Complex takes its point of departure from the Madonna-Whore complex, which describes the state where desire and what one wishes for are irreconcilable. By moving in close, the artist creates an intimacy in the motifs that sets this series apart from the preceding one.
The discomfort in Palpitating largely stems from a voyeuristic approach to the body and people in explicit situations and depictions. In Madonna Complex, however, it is the emotional reactions we witness that generate the discomfort of being too close. The faces reveal and expose the portrayed individuals in moments of ecstasy, shame, anger, fear, uncertainty, and disgust.
The materiality of the motifs and the use of watercolor are also significant. In this series, the nature of watercolor becomes a symbolic extension of human nature. It is a medium that requires both precision and control to create a coherent and unified image. By allowing the colored water to flow across the paper, the artist seemingly lets go of some of this control. Despite this "loss of control" on the artist's part, there is no doubt that it demands immense control to create a composition of such detail with such an unwieldy medium. In other words, it is a performance for the gallery.
The use of watercolor as a technique can also be interpreted as a symbol of the overarching theme of the series. The way the colored water moves across the paper while slowly being absorbed into it and becoming part of its material is itself symbolic. It can evoke how desire and shame wash over a person and gradually become a permanent part of their mental and sexual attitudes.
