The Holy Family

by Ruth Stricklin

Framed Giclee on Canvas, $850

Image size - 32x20"
The original work of art was commissioned by the Diocese of Phoenix to commemorate its 50th Anniversary.
The original painting, which resides at the Diocesan Pastoral Center in Phoenix, is 6 feet wide by 9 feet in height and features the Holy Family- the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph and the child Jesus.
"I wanted to show St. Joseph as a strong, present father and really show his masculinity, which is sometimes missing. I enjoyed working on him and Mary, with her softness and feminine beauty. They are so different, yet perfectly complimentary. There is space for each, in each of their roles, without the threat of one overshadowing the other."
The compositional structure features two equilateral triangles in mirror image, giving the piece a clear center of gravity, and providing symbolic representation of the "two trinities" represented- the image of the Holy Family in the horizontal plane and the Divine Family of the Trinity depicted on the vertical plane, Father, Son, and Spirit.
Symbolic representations drawn from the miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Patroness of the Diocese of Phoenix can also be discerned.