Cecilism: Classics Angst
"Cecilism" is a new artistic style created by the Miroir Noir artistic group, consisting of Rai Escalé and Miloš Kopták. It is inspired by the unfortunate restoration of the Ecce Homo fresco by Cecilia Giménez in Borja, and is characterized by the playful use of irony and humor.
The term "Cecilism" has been used to describe a new artistic movement that explores themes such as cultural heritage, art history, appropriation, and the true cultural value of legacies in a humorous way. This movement challenges traditional notions of artistic tradition and invites spectators to reflect on the creative possibilities of restoration and the desacralization and modification of ancient art, as well as the ways in which cultural heritage is constructed and valued.
In the Cecilism style, interventions in works of the great masters of painting, in this case from the Spanish Baroque and the collection of the Prado Museum, give rise to a dreamlike and surprising world. The works are not created gratuitously, but rather are intervened and violated, often with a satirical gesture, in order to invite the spectator to rethink and reinterpret their original meanings, through modifications applied with a great dose of humor and irony.
This style aims to annihilate classical representation by transgressing its form, forcing our senses to assimilate these changes and transforming familiar images into messages, sometimes erotic, sometimes disturbing, but always with a studied symbolic load and a deft technique. The artist searches, and always finds, hidden images behind or under others, creating works that could be called surrealist, set in a fantastic world where the protagonists are beasts and mythological characters.
