Sistine Madonna - 3´31", colour, sound, 16:9, Full HD, Germany, 2014

The video artist Christoph Brech was invited by the Dresden Picture Gallery to make use of regular maintenace work in the museum and let himselfe be inspired. His  Sistine Madonna is a result of his exploration of the gallery´s treasures.

The video records the cleaning of a glass panel used to protect another painting, a few metres away from Raphael´s 1512/13 original masterpiece. Brech´s  optical illusion allows for surprising new possible inerpretations for this icon of art history, the Picture Gallery and the city of Dresden.

In the church of San Sisto, Piacenza, the painting was originally placed across a large cucifix. Mary´s troubled expression as rendered by Raphael, relates to the interplay of the figures in the church: her premonition of Jesus´ death on the cross. By usuíng the hymn „O Sacred Head Sore Wounded“ played at extremly slow speed for the soundtrack of his video, Brech refers back to the painting´s  original placement.