Still Life With Head of John the Baptist

I had, at this time, a fixation with the character of John the Baptist. It was partly due to an interest in the sect of the Mandaeans, and partly due to an interest in the treatment of him in art. One of my favorite possessions was a folk painting of the head of John the Baptist in the platter, and the local museum had in it’s collection the Caravaggio painting of the young John the Baptist. While investigating the theme in art I discovered a depiction of his head in a raised platter. That, along with the influence of some morbid still-life photographs by Joel-Peter Witkin, resulted in this painting.

 

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