Murillo #1 2015

Editor: So, this is "Murillo #1" by Lorenzo Belenguer, from 2015. It looks like a mixed-media piece – a collage with painting and impasto, referencing the Spanish Baroque painter, Murillo. It has a, sort of defaced quality with bits stuck onto the original image, which creates a disturbing effect, contrasting with the original subject matter. What’s your take on it? Curator: Ah, yes! Disturbing is one word for it, darling. To me, it feels like a playful yet poignant commentary on appropriation. Belenguer takes this very recognizable image, perhaps a little too saccharine for our modern palates, and… well, messes with it. Think of it as punk rock meets the Old Masters! But is it defacement, or transformation? I feel there’s a longing for connection here – a wish to enter the painting, perhaps, but also a recognition that we can never truly recapture the past. Does that resonate with you at all? Editor: That makes a lot of sense! I was so focused on the alteration as negative that I overlooked a kinder, gentler motivation. You mentioned ‘transformation,’ could you elaborate? Curator: Of course! Transformation in that Belenguer is taking an existing image, breathing new life into it through collage and mixed-media. It becomes a conversation, not just with Murillo but with art history itself. Each dab of paint, each glued-on element is a thought, a question posed to the original work. Does that make more sense? A way for the artist to grapple with the painting's initial saccharine style while acknowledging the continued effect that genre painting continues to have today. Editor: Yeah, that clarifies it for me! I initially saw it as cynical, but I appreciate seeing this piece through your interpretive lens. Curator: Well, sometimes the most disruptive gestures come from a place of deep affection. It’s about acknowledging what came before, wrestling with it, and ultimately, making it our own.