Marlene DumasMagdalena 3 1996

Dumas began work on the Magdalena paintings after completing a series of portrait heads of Jesus, entitled Jesus Serene. In these, the artist explored the theme of desire, in relation to an unobtainable but longed-for object. The next step, the series of works based on the Biblical character Mary Magdalene, was, Dumas felt, 'easy, even logical'. She continued: 'I called them only "Magdalena" to make them less historically religious. I also liked the fact that this woman wants this man and he says "no". My men are often supposedly "feminine" while my women are more "masculine" (if you want to use these distinctions still). I believe in love stories, the gender of the lover does not matter in the end… (read more)