Madonna and Child

Madonna and Child is a life-size steel sculpture made of solid steel and powder-coated in red and yellow. The image is a 1950’s kitchen step stool with a steel line-drawn house of the same era. The steps are in a lowered position creating a walkway to the seat where the house sits. 

The madonna and child image is frequently depicted in a format called the “throne of wisdom” where Mary is seated on a chair or throne with the christ child in her lap. These sculptures are Byzantine works of art dating to the 12th century. They are made of wood and stand three to four feet in height and serve as devotional objects venerating the mother of god. 

In this contemporary piece, the step stool becomes both the throne and figure. The step stool is feminine in nature. This style of step stool is from a mid 20th century kitchen, at that time a domain exclusive to women. The red color symbolic of youthful fecundity serves as a chromatic counterpoint to the christ child represented by the yellow house.   

The piece has a sense of nostalgia and comfort associated with American post-war material prosperity and global dominance. The sculpture, while satirical, also represents a value system  based on consumerism.