Artist's Statement

      Human visual and emotional expressions can be recorded by a camera; however, the narratives and memories associated with the subject matter are not necessarily registered by the photographic image. In this series of large format charcoal drawings, the photograph captures the image as well as the memories, narrative meanings, and human connections associated with them in a nonverbal way. The drawings portray the true and relevant moments that are hidden behind the imagery instead of artificially creating it. The series is a contemporary work based on the Baroque Italian painter Michelangelo Merisi Caravaggio’s dark and smooth atmosphere known as tenebrism, which is created mainly by the presence of extreme lights and darks. This traditional technique is achieved here by applying the deepest dark of black pastel and charcoal over the lightest white surface of BFK paper, seeking to emphasize facial expressions. The enlargement of human figures helps to expand and explore the harmony and grace of The Reliquary.

      This contemporary body of work entices the viewer to examine the link between conscious and unconscious existence and the unconscious relationship between each other. The work allows for the viewer’s individual interpretation in hopes of creating a deep connection between the individuals and their environment. Images constantly flow and transform into memories, and my purpose with this work is to permanently translate those feelings onto paper.

- Raquel Miotto