"Angelic" Angelina Jolie
Inspired by the masters Van Dyck and Raphael, artist Kate Kertz's "Blessed Art Thou," depicts Angelina Jolie and her children hovering on a cloud above shoppers in a Wal-Mart.
"The painting addresses the celebrity worship cycle," Kertz writes on her blog. "The title 'Blessed Art Thou,' is taken from a line in the Catholic prayer 'Hail Mary…blessed art thou among women.' Our culture is deifying celebrities, but in the Bible, it is the meek who are blessed, so the title presents a question for the viewer to ponder."
The oil and acrylic on linen painting will be on display at the Chelsea Galleria booth at the Art Miami Fair at the Miami Beach Convention Center from Jan. 5 through Jan. 8.
Photos: Portraits Of Suri
Kretz, who is an associate professor of Visual Arts at Florida International University, said she chose a supermarket for the painting's setting because that's "where the cycle begins. Psychologically oppressive environments like this one are one of the feeding sources for the consumer, hungry for 'information' about the celebrity's private life."
Kretz also points out that Jolie's humanitarian work adds "another layer to the already complicated questions surrounding her status."
In addition to teaching, Kretz has participated in numerous solo and group shows, and her works are included in several museum and private collections. She received her MFA from the University of Georgia in Athens and studied at the Sorbonne in Paris.
The response to the painting has been exciting for Kretz, who says, "the paintings take so long to make, and it is rewarding to have so many people actually see what I have been working on!"
Kretz's extensive body of work can be seen at her Web site, katekretz.com.