Portfolio > of stone & fabric.

Constantine l
Constantine l
Oil on linen
132 x 117 cm
2023




With this work, I am merging modern design used in high-end fashion with Baroque and Neo-classical sculptural elements to create a fusion of short-lived fashion classics and long revered master works.

I aim to draw upon these forms to exhibit the hand-drawn and crafted garment of F. de La Perrière for Hermés, Paris - contrasting the silk piece against the sculpted stone folds of Bernini, whilst simultaneously complimenting one another as they are joint in a form of dance.

The sculpture of ‘The Vision of Constantine’, sculpted in 1654 and unveiled in 1670 in the Vatican in Rome, was originally intended to stand alone at the bottom of the Scala Regia stairway which connects St Peters Basilica to the Vatican Palace. However, the space in which it occupied made the work look disproportionate so an extensive marble drape was created to fill the space.

The sculpture is strategically placed in order for the light that enters the Basilica to hit the work to give the sense that Constantine is experiencing a vision. The piece is only visible from a single viewpoint as it resides in a publicly inaccessible part of the Vatican.

Fashion is ephemeral and brief, but by using the sculpture as a vessel, I am cementing the garment of the like of de La Perrière and Hermés in time on the canvas and creating a juxtaposition between the two forms together as one in another form.