Crane brings the Thai Ma Song ritual into conversation with Renaissance portraiture. A female figure holds the crane as a divine instrument, transforming the piercing into a meditation on devotion and endurance. In a Ma Song ceremony, the devotee both absorbs and drives away misfortune on behalf of others by enduring an array of surreal ritual woundings. Renaissance portraiture, characterized by stillness and a frontal presence, imbues the sitter with a sacred aura. Across time and cultures, Crane shows how the human form becomes a conduit between divine forces and the world of the flesh.
The painting is fully sculpted and embossed, with the barbs of the feathers subtly enhanced with finely raised gloss lines. Expressive splashes and flecks of paint are further embellished to create a distinctive tactile surface, while carefully placed foil details integrate seamlessly with the composition.
Print: 19-1/8" x 24"
Image: 16-7/8" x 21"
Intricate foil detailing and embossing
Sculptural glass-like details and enhancements
Signed by James Jean and numbered
Price: $525
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