In the work STABAT MATER, the crushing anguish faced by humanity is approached through the figure of Jesus’ mother, Mary. The text ”Stabat Mater Dolorosa” dates back to the 13th century, and there is uncertainty about its author. Stabat Mater is connected to medieval passion plays popular in Germany and Italy, known as ”Maria’s laments.” These Marienklagen plays were based on the 19th chapter of the Gospel of John, depicting the sorrow of Jesus’ mother Mary, her sister, Mary Magdalene, and Mary Clopas’ wife at the foot of the cross.
In the Finnish language, Stabat Mater has been known since early times, as it was published in Suometar in 1852 under the name ”Marian murhe” (Mary’s Grief). The translator is mentioned as A.D.:”Murehella haikialla/ seisoi Äiti ristin alla/ johon poika naulitaan./ Sydän sykki surkeasti/ kyyneleitä katkerasti/ silmä vuosi tulvanaan…”/
Ceramics pot 90 x 40 cm
My personal comments on the work Stabat Mater.
In 2002, I attended a performance of Rossini’s Stabat Mater at the Finnish Opera. The piece made a great impression on me, and I realized that I must create my own Stabat Mater. As I worked on the project, the composition grew, becoming much larger than I had initially envisioned. The paintings are also accompanied by a large ceramic pot. It emerged from the idea that sorrow must have both sharers and receivers, much like Mary did. Clay alludes to the human body, which transforms into clay.
In the third painting, I have used an old, well-known image of a Jewish woman being taken to a concentration camp (the image is fragmented, with one half in the upper part of the painting and the other half in the lower part of the painting). The blue iris in the upper right corner of the painting is connected to Vincent van Gogh’s painting ”Irises,” which he created while in the hospital.
The fourth painting is related to weeping. A white lily symbolizing Mary’s innocence falls away; grief shatters Mary’s innocence.
The sixth painting is related to Simeon’s prophecy to Mary: ”and a sword will pierce through your own soul also” (Luke 2:35). Simeon’s prophecy prepares Mary for her future fate. It provides boundaries and form to her sorrow and indicates that the blind rage of destiny can be heard and understood.
The seventh painting serves as the concluding coda. In it, the colors of the painting are revisited, and in some way, there is an exit from the world of the artwork into ordinary life.