Take out one hundred candles and liight them for the 100th birthday of artist Lucia Vernarelli. It’s the darkest time of the year in the northern hemisphere and Lucia was named for light when she was born on December 13, (St. Lucia Day) 1920..
Lucia was a painter and a printmaker. costume designer and a collage artist. Equally as important, she was an advocate for women, an anti-war activist, and always proudly working class. Lucia was among the first group of tenants at Westbeth Artists Housing in Manhattan and lived there until her death in 1995.
In thinking about her print that I have posted above I can’t help but note that there is some element of the St. Lucia narrative embedded in the image. St. Lucia was an early Christian martyr from Sicily, Italy. She was known for bringing food to prisoners and it is said that she wore candles on her head to facilitate easy passage through dark tunnels and dungeons, thus leaving her hands free to carry provisions. The strong profile and abundant hair in this image are characteristic of the artist’s self-portraits, but they also speak of those stories of St. Lucia lighting her way with candles. Here she holds a candle in her right hand to illuminate the darkness; her head and hair appear aflame, aglow, and the greatest area of light seems to emanate from her fiery head.
