The Wondrous Heads This group constitutes four large canvases 200 x 215 cm and the related smaller paintings and works on paper. The title for this group of paintings comes from passages found in Grail literature or more precisely, the Welsh Mabinogion, when referring to the apparition of head appearing in space which offers benefits and blessings to those who see it.
The titles of the major paintings are The Hospitality of the Wondrous Head, The Uncorrupted Head of Bran, The Sibyl of the Castle of Wonders, and Orpheus and the Thracian Women. Once again, the last painting in this series deviates from the original specific theme. It too was painted simultaneously with the other, but the idea of Orpheus came to me in the process of painting it. The general theme is the same, however, which is the magical disembodied head of a king, god or martyr which can offer blessings and enlightenment to those who believe. In the first painting of the group, the uncorrupted severed head of a king is presented by a figure and provides nourishment to those in need. In the second, it is the uncorrupted head of the Celtic god Bran which intimates immortality. The figure in the third painting refers to a sibyl by Michelangelo, but placed in the Castle of Wonders, which is the Grail castle. The last painting is based on the death or martyrdom of Orpheus in which his severed head continued to sing after death. This implies immortality or at least the relative immortality of art.
In each painting there is a mysterious floating head on a charger and in some paintings its counterpart appears, as the mocking severed head of a pig. The floating spiritual head also refers to the series of works by Gustave Moreau of Salomé and the head of John the Baptist. Moreau’s work develops an Old Testament version of this miraculous occurrence. The Grail references are also Christian in spirit, but as well come from pagan origins. This theme seems universal and quite ancient.