Artwork
Thirteenth Messenger
Artist
Eva Bovenzi
(American, born 1957)
DepartmentContemporary Art
Date2007
MediumAcrylic on canvas
DimensionsOverall: 36 × 54 in. (91.4 × 137.2 cm)
Visual left panel: 36 × 24 in. (91.4 × 61 cm)
Visual right panel: 24 × 30 in. (61 × 76.2 cm)
Visual left panel: 36 × 24 in. (91.4 × 61 cm)
Visual right panel: 24 × 30 in. (61 × 76.2 cm)
Credit LineSan Antonio Museum of Art, gift of Brooke and Renato Solis
Object number2011.9
Copyright© Eva Bovenzi
DescriptionPainting comprised of two asymmetrical panels (the left panel is taller and wider than the right), which an abstract form spans across against a gray background. The central image is an angular abstract form containing various linear and circular marks.Label Text"Visually, these paintings were inspired by Byzantine
icons, early Renaissance Italian art, and medieval
maps. Conceptually, they were born of my fascination
with humanity's need to create a narrative that explains
our presence in this unexplainable universe."
Eva Bovenzi
In this painting Bovenzi uses an abstract pictorial language to pose philosophical questions about our relationship to the cosmos. Having grown up in Western culture and studied the history of Old Master painting, Bovenzi has been influenced by Christian narratives involving angels as messengers, and considers the two panels of this diptych to be metaphors for angel wings. Rather than present these surrogate wings as symmetrical, the artist has positioned them perpendicular to one another and out of alignment to suggest the imperfections of knowledge-in that it is impossible for humans to understand fully the complexities of the universe that we occupy. The circles and intersecting lines that fill the open space of the composition similarly refer to the human need to explore the unknown. They were inspired by medieval navigational and celestial maps, which were speculative proposals for understanding the structure of uncharted waters and skies.
(David Rubin, Label Text 2012)SignedSigned in blue paint on reverse, upper center: Eva Bovenzi/"Thirteenth Messenger"/2007Not on view
Collections
The San Antonio Museum of Art is in the process of digitizing its permanent collection. This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect SAMA's complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of such records is ongoing.
This resource has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the Human Endeavor.
