The National Gallery

Michael Landy 'Saints Alive'

I really enjoyed my visit to the National Gallery, whilst I was there I visited the 'Saints Alive' exhibition. I thought it was very thought provoking and triggered a few ideas for the project. We were not allowed to take pictures from the gallery so we had to draw them. All the sculptures in the exhibition were very interesting, as they were very unusual.

Saint Thomas

The Saint Thomas is traditionally known as 'Doubting Thomas' because he refused to believe in the Resurrection of Christ until he had actually felt Christ's wounds himself.

 

Multi Saint

This sculpture combines the attributes of five different saints.

Saint Peter Martyr (1205-1252) was a Dominican preacher violently murdered with an axe blow to his head. Saint Lawrence (died 252) was martyred by the Romans when he was roasted alive on a griddle. Saint Lucy (died 304 or 310), according to legend, plucked out her own eyes and sent them to an, admirer who continually praised their beauty. Saint Michael is an Archangel who will call the dead to rise on the day of the last judgement. Saint Catherine was tortured on a wheel.

Rumbling, banging and springing the mechanical parts fall into action for a few brief seconds. The noise is very loud and alarming and the motion is quite abrupt. You are able to see the working parts as the connected– rusty cogs and bicycle wheels, springs and old machine parts, are all exposed.

 

Saint Catherine of Alexandra

According to legend she had a mystic marriage with the infant Christ. Her tormentors tried to martyr her on a wheel.

For this you have read the words engraved in gold on the edge of St Catherine's wheel – you have to push hard at the handle to make the wheel turn. All the unimaginable strangeness of her life revolves before you, from the conversion of Roman empresses to the multiple tortures and the mystic marriage to Christ. It is a perfect metaphor for the circularity of choice, faith and fate.

 

I liked the layout of this exhibition and that you could press the pedal or push the wheel and they would move or make a vast movement, this made me feel very involved and it was quite entertaining when you saw peoples reactions to the alarming noises.