Lot 2
Cherub V (2014)
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
23.5" x 23.5"

Estimate: $1,000 - $1,200

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About this Lot
Description
This item was donated by The Artist.

10% of the net proceeds of the sale of this Artwork will be shared with the Artist.

This item ships from NY 11106
Gazing off as the viewer’s eyes hit their body, Ragusa’s cherub gently strokes their ornate candelabra wings as an organ plays in the background. Cherub V’s decadent candelabra, sprouting from the figure like wings, and the androgenous blending of traditionally male and female body characteristics allow Ragusa to comment on the relationship between body and luxury. The dissociative figure represents a cherub, an iconic figure from biblical tradition often represented by a young child, usually symbolizing innocence or connecting to God. Yet, Ragusa’s cherub appears resigned to the realities of life, no longer hidden behind the veil of childlike innocence. Cherub V is inspired by J. K. Huysmans’s Against the Grain and Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, both of which challenge societal expectations, individual’s assumptions, and the influence of luxury. Cherub V is part of a larger body of work that follows a similar aesthetic. ~ Lucy Siegel, Student at Bowdoin College, Bachelor of Arts in Art History and Government and Legal Studies, Center for Art Law Summer 2020 Intern.