Condemned Painting

Miriam Cabello’s conception of this work was born out of three months residency in Florence, Italy, where she was a winner at the Florence Biennale of Contemporary art. Miriam studied the works of the Old Masters in Italy and Spain and the Abstract Expressionists in New York. The fruits of that experience are evident in the compelling, robust figures and splatters that inhabit The Pugilist Passion series. The oil painting “Condemned” depicts a weight scale with significant national and international historical dates that align the White Australia Policy with international conflicts on segregation. The assistant that weighs the boxer, simultaneously removing his robe and sliding the weights, cleverly draws the viewer to the scale. The C-shaped weight encloses 1963: • The year Martin Luther King Jnr delivers his “I have a dream” speech • President John F Kennedy is assassinated • The Berlin Wall is opened for one day His actions quote those of the Roman guard in Caravaggio’s Ecce Homo, who disrobes Jesus after the mocking. The boxer stands defiantly staring back with bruised, bloodshot eyes, this time quoting Rubens’ Ecce Homo. He is not the usual bowed head and hands crossed demurely in front of him. The boxer’s steady gaze convicts the viewer of their complicity in the coming events. From our position, we could easily be betting punters, whether aware of it or not, about to profit from the imminent act of injustice. Just as the Promoter’s unrepentant, perhaps arrogant stance and absence of water prevent any pretence of innocence. We find ourselves confronted by the piercing eyes of the boxer, unable to escape our conscience, morally isolated in a crowd of one, for all we know.

Painting:Oil on Linen

Original:One-of-a-kind Artwork

Size:72 W x 48 H x 1.2 D in

Delivery Time:Typically 5-7 business days for domestic shipments, 10-14 business days for international shipments.