Vicky Wright United Kingdom, b. 1967

Celestine (2023) is a large painting by Vicky Wright, showing a dreamy figure looking upward and surrounded by purple ribbons, a bird, insects, and flowers, recalling transcendence and rebirth. The background is in a dark trompe l’oeil rendering of wood; the composition, reflective of the striving of spring, is reminiscent of the paintings of Giuseppe Arcimboldo, an Italian painter best known for portraits imaginatively fusing fruits, flowers, and vegetables, to reflect the various seasons of the year. 

In past portraits, Wright referenced Pre-Raphaelite artists, such as William Morris, and historical figures, such as Benito Mussolini and Marilyn Monroe. The title “Celestine” is the Latin word for celestial and, in Greek mythology, the name of Apollo’s chariot that carried him across the skies each day.