Saturday, September 5, 2009

George Krause, "Saints and Martyrs" Series, 1963-Present







I just stumbled up a really magnificent photo series by Texas-based artist, photographer, and teacher George Krause. Called "Saints and Martyrs," it was apparently begun in 1963 while he was in Mexico shooting a story on amateur boxing for Sports Illustrated. The series is a moody and haunting exploration of the anonymously-produced and stirringly beautiful saints and martyrs--many of them made of wax, resplendent on velvet cushions beneath old glass--which fill the churches of Italy, Mexico, and Central America.

More about the series, from his website:
"Saints and Martyrs pays homage to the anonymous artisans who fashioned the statues...These sculptures transcend most folk art," (Krause) says. 'They are not conceptually motivated. The sculptor felt the suffering, and it allowed him to create something beyond himself and beyond the repetitive forms usually handed down among folk artists. I am responding to the artisan's passion and his unique vision."
George Krause, A Retrospective, Anne W. Tucker
All images are from George Krause's "Saints and Martyrs" set on his Flickr page; you can see more of this series (which I highly recommend! There were far too many wonderful images to include here) by clicking here; click 0n images to see much larger versions. You can visit his webpage by clicking here.

Via Fantomatic via Outrepart.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

These are amazing!

retoque fotografico said...

A really interesting and surreal series of black and white photographs!