The Passover - SOLD
Richard Mudariki (b 1985)
The Passover - 2011
Acrylic on canvas
120 x 159,5 cm
Signed and dated bottom right
Sold - 2012
In the original artwork ‘The Last Supper’ by Leonardo da Vinci, the artist depicts the final meal shared by Jesus and His Apostles in Jerusalem before his crucifixion. During this meal Jesus announces that one of his Twelve Disciples will betray him. The bread and wine are symbolic of the body and blood of Christ. ‘The Passover’, the title of this painting, refers to the Jewish holiday and festival commemorating the story of the Exodus – the emancipation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt after the ten plagues. In this painting the President invites all of his friends, his enemies, as well as Jesus, to eat and drink with him. The original bread and wine are replaced by a feast of symbols which provide clues about the choice of names on his guest list – all important players in world politics. A central hour glass suggests that the President’s time is running out. The vulture, usually a symbol for renewal, here becomes the harbinger of death, feeding on others’ misfortune. Two locusts, destroyers of crops during the Egyptian plagues, are branded with the flags of two international powers. Calling his bluff, his cards are exposed and strewn around the table. The severed head of the common man is served on a platter, a metaphor for those preyed on to keep the ruling party in power. Their chalices filled with the blood of the innocent, the guests confer whilst millions wait for a change in fortune.