Geraldine Wheeler: “Flight from the dictator: with reference to Picasso and Fairweather, Gouache stencil painting on paper, 40 x 51cm
Geraldine Wheeler
Artist Statement
The central reference of this painting is the story in Matthew 2:1-18 of the journey of the Holy Family fleeing King Herod after the visit of the Magi. The reference to Picasso is the use of figures expressing great grief similar to those in his large painting, Guernica, which critiques the Nazi bombing of that Basque town in Spain in 1937 and the reference to Fairweather relates to his depiction of the massacre of the infants in Epiphany (QAG Collection). The story of the refugee Holy Family on the journey to Egypt can be seen to have parallels in what still happens in the world today and the plight of the refugees fleeing war and cruelty.