"The installation brings to mind the massed remains in the catacombs of Paris, an imposing wall of human heads that resonates with a simultaneous and strange sense of impermanence and eternality. In ‘Mass’, Mueck celebrates the form that links all humanity and pays homage to a symbol that has stood within the art of essentially all cultures and religion. surrounded by skulls covering nearly every surface of the walls, visitors are reminded of the transience of life"
The church of St Moritz has been through many changes since its foundation nearly a thousand years ago. Devastating fires, changes in liturgical practice, aesthetic evolution and wartime bombing have each left their mark on the fabric of the building. The purpose of this latest intervention has been to retune the existing architecture, from aesthetic, functional and liturgical perspectives, with considerations of sacred atmosphere always at the heart of the project.
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 45.1 x 59.7 cm
Current location: Private collection
Signed and dated lower left: Hugues Merle 1868
Dimensions: 45.1 x 59.7 cm
Current location: Private collection
Signed and dated lower left: Hugues Merle 1868
"Merle favored emotion-filled, often seductive, facial expressions and languid bodies to connote drama and pathos. Indeed, his Mary Magdelene emerges as the enraptured captive of Christ’s love."