The VARGA Iconographic Triptych of Buddha, Jesus and Mohammed | ||||||
This triptych represent the religious complexion and fulcrums of change among the major religious groups of the world. The bare feet symbolize their human-ness and connection to the physical earth. The hands are in positions of surrender, benediction and blessing. The river that springs from the toe of the Buddha represents the flow of Time, Life, and Truth flowing through all things into the collective Sea of Knowledge depicted behind Jesus and Mohammed. The fig tree between Jesus and Buddha represents how Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, attained enlightenment underneath the Sacred Bodhi Fig tree, as well as Jesus's judgement and curse upon the fig tree for not bearing fruit. The reverse side of the panels show three symbols in hand-cut wood mosaic: The Dharma wheel representing the eight-fold path of Buddhism; The Star of David, emblem of the house of David of which Jesus is a descendant; and the Crescent Moon of Islam. The sighting of the crescent moon (hilal) at the end of the month of Shaban signifies the beginning of the holy month of Ramadhan.
Mohammed (pbuh)
Mohammed stands before the green domed mosque of Medina.
It is forbidden to represent the Prophet's face therefore it is covered with calligraphy.
The calligraphy commands all to maintain a pure body and
spirit and declares the greatness of Allah. Mohammed's hands are in a
position of complete openness and surrender. His halo represents the flames
typically surrounding his body in Islamic iconography. The hand of his cherished daughter Fatima is positioned to the left of his head. The five fingers of the hand represent the five pillars of Islam: to make a declaration of faith, to establish formal prayer, to give charity, to fast in the month of Ramadan, and to perform a pilgrimage to the Ka'bah
in Makkha at least once in a lifetime. Jesus
Jesus stands before three buildings representing the trinity. The halo of Jesus is in the shape of a solar cross, as typically seen in Byzantine iconography. Two buildings have stained glass windows. The left building's upper window
shows the solar cross which represents non-Judaic religions including the
pagan religions. The lower window represents Judaism with the ten Sephiroths in the Tree of Life. The right building's window represents Christianity. The
right stained glass window is clipped by the halo, forming three
crucifixes in the crossbars of the window. The center building has no windows and ascends beyond the borders to a place in the heavens. Jesus looks directly at the viewer, his hands in a position of benediction. The barren fig tree serves as a reminder of his warning to mankind.
The eight-story pagoda which stands behind Buddha represents the eightfold path of Buddhism: right understanding, right thoughts, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration. The river springing at Buddha's feet symbolizes his place as the first in
history of the three men represented in the work. The sacred mantra
"Om Mani Padme Hum" is inscribed on the giant golden prayer wheel in the pagoda. Behind Buddha are the Himalayas, the mountains of Nepal. Buddha stands under the sacred Bodhi tree, now barren, where he attained enlightenment. His halo is in the shape of a lotus. His eyes are turned inward in meditation, and his hand reaches out in compassionate benediction.
This work is painted on three doors found on the street. Brushes were trimmed to a necessary shape and stiffness to create light catching ridges in the paint. The mosaic is cut with sharp, strong scissors out of fruit crates from a local grocer. The pieces are attached with high strength clear adhesive then sanded and glazed. The crevices between the mosaics are filled with a sand and varnish mixture then sealed with a final layer of varnish and mica dust. As it is double sided, the work cannot hang on a wall. On display, the panels will hang suspended from a ceiling in the center of a large room so viewers may circumambulate the work. Light strikes the folds of the robes due to the ridges in the paint and moves across the painting in such a way that the water seems to flow along the river. The radii surrounding and emanating from the wood mosaic symbols makes the symbols appear to radiate light. |
||||||
