Saint Rockettes; ca. 1980

Wood, found objects, medical gauze, oil paint, electric lighting, mixed media. 36 x 54 x 7½ in. ca.

“This large work is called the St. Rockettes with a huge arch of the Radio City Music Hall proscenium. I used to go to a huge junk – style type warehouse in New Jersey. They had wonderful things in there like sets of monkey automatons playing cymbals – these were not for sale. It was a wonderful place and I bought a lot of things there including a lot of fake Santos. I bought nine St. Rochs. Somebody asked why so many? And I said “I’m going to have a chorus line.” So I do. I have St. Roch who always points to the wound on his leg, standing in a line. The curtains above are looped up in swags, and they are made of hospital gauze because St. Roch was the patron saint of the hospitals.” -BCD

Image © 2018 Frederick Charles