Maggi Hambling (b.1945)
Oil on board
53 x 67 cm
2006
Methodist Modern Art Collection
HAMB/2011
Image Copyright © Trustees for Methodist Church Purposes. The Methodist Church Registered Charity no. 1132208
Biblical commentary
John 6: 16-21
Artist Maggi Hambling has a strong preoccupation with the sea, and its mysterious power comes across strongly in this painting. Yet, it is the equally mysterious image – human, yet not quite human, with a hint of a halo in place – that draws our attention. The title reflects the fact that each Good Friday Hambling has produced a painting in memory of her late mother where, as she puts it, she is striving to capture the perfect image of life and death at one and the same moment. This painting was her 2006 contribution to the series. Conscious of the myriad biblical references to water, from the first chapter of Genesis onwards, she believes “Each wave can be seen as a self-regenerative force, untameable by man, but speaking of the power of God.”
Commentary based on A Guide to the Methodist Art Collection.