In the work STABAT MATER, the profound anguish of humanity is approached through the figure of Jesus’ mother, Mary. The medieval text Stabat Mater Dolorosa, dating from the 13th century and of uncertain authorship, is connected to passion plays known as Marienklagen (“Mary’s laments”), which depict Mary’s grief at the foot of the cross.
In Finnish, Stabat Mater appeared in 1852 in the newspaper Suometar under the title Marian murhe (“Mary’s Grief”), translated by 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
Personal reflections on the work Stabat Mater
In 2002, I attended a performance of Stabat Mater by Gioachino Rossini at the Finnish National Opera. The experience made a deep impression on me and led me to realize that I wanted to create my own Stabat Mater. As I worked on the project, the composition gradually expanded far beyond my initial vision.
Alongside the paintings stands a large ceramic vessel. It emerged from the thought that sorrow needs both those who share it and those who receive it, as Mary did. Clay also alludes to the human body, which ultimately returns to clay.
In the third painting, I used a well-known historical photograph 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 in the lower. The blue iris in the upper right corner refers to Vincent van Gogh’s painting Irises, created while he was in hospital.
The fourth painting relates to weeping. A white lily—symbolizing Mary’s innocence—falls away, suggesting how grief shatters innocence.
The sixth painting refers to Simeon’s prophecy to Mary: “and a sword will pierce through your own soul also” (Luke 2:35). The prophecy anticipates Mary’s future suffering and gives form to her sorrow.
The seventh painting functions as a concluding coda. The colours of the series return, and the work opens a passage from the world of the artwork back to ordinary life.