06

BERNARD

The inspiration here was the reliquary of St. Candide, which is housed in the Blumenstein Museum in Solothurn, Switzerland. Saint Candidus lies in a glass coffin on ornately embroidered cushions. It has a distinctive golden halo made up of metallic rays. A wreath of green leaves is placed on his head and small flowers cover his body.

I wanted to combine bold colors and the motif of nature. In other exhibits, the crowns (laurel wreaths) are more gold or silver. Here, the crown is red. The skull is placed in a pyramid, which is covered with dark green leaves. The pyramid - a symbol of eternity - along with the skull, a symbol of the impermanence of life, refers to man's connection to the heavens and the afterlife.