PROOFOFWORK GOLIATH 911, Mamadou Sow 2021

Creation time: 97h 48min Physical Size: 1241mm x 1546mm DPI: 150 Procreate File: 1.736,81 MB

Description: "Guilty" The case of Derek Chauvin, the chauvinist ex-police officer and murderer of George Floyd, ends for the first time with a verdict that makes the world breathe a sigh of relief. The verdict gave me the energy to finish this painting. A head for a white tshirt. Too often a portrait of a victim of police brutality, mostly dark-skinned US citizens, has been printed on t-shirts. Too often injustice triggers violence and protest. As an artist and sensitive person, I have felt a need to express my position on the subject. I abhor any form of physical primitive violence and distance myself from it. Nevertheless, during the pronouncement of the verdict I had to think of a brutal painting by my favorite Renaissance painter. The comparison to David's victory over Goliath was so obvious that Caravaggio's impressive interpretation took my full attention. My David is black. He is replaced by me with a female heavenly messenger, to end the tradition of male heroes. During the realization, I constantly questioned the impression my work would leave. I am very proud of the outcome for which I had to overcome some self-doubt. This gloomy snapshot should still look bright and confident. The light of a dawn illuminates the scene. The sword reflects and illuminates its immediate surroundings. The sun of an obsolete system sets while a new horizon is shot. Justice dispels the dark deeds of the past and spreads with every spark and ray of light. The goal is far from reached but a head closer.