If there was ever a niche for irreverence in religious art, Luigi Ontani has found it. Of course, he's not the first to go there. Isabella Stewart Gardner (founder of the museum that bears her name) inserted a wry wit into her collection by sticking her own picture in amongst the staid religious memorabilia.
Though separated by generations, Ontani and Gardner share lightheartedness when it comes to religious art and objects. In "Sculpture & Memory: Works from the Gardner and by Luigi Ontani" at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Ontani's contemporary works are showcased alongside key religious objects from Gardner's collection.
At first, it appears that the two collections have been put together to contrast one another. Gardner's pieces highlight the irreverence that might be construed as disrespect in Ontani's works. His pieces reflect the self-importance and the sober overtones most medieval religious pieces tend to exude.
Each Ontani piece is a tongue-in-cheek exploration of some classical religious theme or icon. "Salom?©-Salam?©" (2002) is a ceramic rendering of a beheaded Ontani served on a plate. It's a play on the classical images of John the Baptist, who was beheaded by King Herod at the request of Herod's step-daughter, Salom?©. The title, "Salom?©-Salam?©," pays homage to Herod's daughter, as well as the salami-esque underside of the ceramic head on the plate.
There's a witty juxtaposition in the piece, which is placed in the same exhibition as a 16th-century German woodcarving of the Holy Trinity taken from the altar of a medieval European church. The dead wooden eyes of the holy figures cast disapproving stares at the modern works across the gallery.
However, while Ontani's work might seem to mock the conventions of medieval artwork, closer inspection reveals an obvious veneration for it. His pieces are meticulously composed to mimic the originals from which he draws inspiration. He is inspired by a wide range of religious imagery, from classical Western saints and martyrs, to Eastern Indian gods and goddesses.
Gardner, too, was fascinated by a plethora of different religions. Her collection, which extends beyond the small room that holds this exhibit, contains an enormous amount of religious artifacts from around the world. Just outside the "Sculpture & Memory" room, there is a life-size statue of a Chinese Guanyin, a Buddhist teacher and spiritual guide. He is surrounded by various woodcarvings, the remains of Buddhist sanctuaries from all over the world.
In his other two prominent works, Ontani recalls the work of high-baroque painter Guido Reni. "Ecce Homo"(1970) is a head-and-shoulders portrait of Ontani as Christ with a crown of thorns. He holds up a scrap of paper with the original Reni piece of the same name. Here, Ontani directly references his source, making it perfectly apparent for the viewer. He makes it abundantly clear that he has caricatured himself, Jesus and Reni's rendering. In the photo, Ontani wears a smug, self-satisfied look on his face.
In a portrait in which he poses as Saint Sebastian, Ontani's loincloth-swaddled figure leans casually in the shade of a tree. The biblically arid desert scene with fading afternoon light lends an appropriately ominous feeling to the image. In the story of Saint Sebastian, he is tied to a tree and shot full of arrows. Through a miracle of God, he lives and is rescued by a local widow so that he might demonstrate more miracles. Ontani wears a nonchalant look on his face, even with blood from an arrow wound dripping from his chest, which may be a nod to the archetype of the cool and calm modern day hero, like James Bond or Indiana Jones.
"En route vers l'Inde" (1975 -2000) is a cycle of photographs colored with watercolor and sepia ink. They feature the artist posing as various religious icons from Western, Hellenic and Indian tradition. In these it becomes apparent that Ontani's porcelain skin and Renaissance features framed by a cascade of Jesus Christ Superstar-style hair really work in his favor.
What unites Ontani and Gardner, aside from the inspiration they draw from medieval religious artwork, is the display of their personal responses. Rather than look to the religious figures depicted from below, confining them to the pedestals on which they're carved, Ontani and Gardner put themselves on the same plane as the icons. By posing as or amongst these important figures, the artist and collector find that they can relate to them on a personal level.
The work of both Ontani and Gardner serves as a reminder that religion can be for the people, and that the Everyman can and should be able to see a little bit of himself in the figures he looks towards for guidance and worship.
