Rendered in warm sepia tones, the mezzotint "Persephone" depicts a seated, veiled figure in a Madonna-like pose – yet realized as a wooden lay figure with a spherical head and articulated wooden hands. In her lap the figure holds an animal skull; at her feet lies a pomegranate, the ancient attribute of the underworld goddess Persephone, while a floral brocade fills the background. In the velvety mezzotint process, Michael Triegel unites sacred pictorial tradition and vanitas motif into an enigmatic allegory of life, death, and return. The sheet is signed, dated, and titled, and designated as e.a. (artist’s proof).
About the Artist Michael Triegel
Faith, myth and human existence are the themes Michael Triegel (b. 1968 in Erfurt) negotiates in precisely painted, often enigmatic and allegorical compositions. His art is distinguished by a masterful revival of old-masterly painting techniques, which he combines with inspirations from the Renaissance, Mannerism and the Baroque. Triegel studied at the Academy of Fine Arts (HGB) in Leipzig under Arno Rink and Ulrich Hachulla and thus stands in the tradition of the Leipzig School. He gained international renown not least through the official portrait of Pope Benedict XVI and the Naumburger Altar; the newspaper Die Zeit called him "Germany's most famous religious artist." His work is held in significant collections and churches and is represented by Galerie Schwind, among others.
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