Repentance.Variation on themes by Pinturicchio and Raphael.(dedicated to Vasily Katanyan) 1989

This collage, Repentance, by Sergei Parajanov, is made of paper and found objects, its dimensions are 43.5 x 53.5 cm. It’s wild, right? The first thing you notice is probably the layered effect, as if the artist started with a Renaissance painting, perhaps by Raphael or Pinturicchio, then fearlessly piled on a whole universe of stuff. It's like he’s saying, “Okay, old masters, let’s see what we can really do here.” The seashells are such a trip; some are meticulously placed like jewels on a crown, others sort of jutting out, demanding attention. It is a little aggressive. I imagine Parajanov in his studio, totally absorbed, snipping, gluing, arranging. He was thinking about film, family, history, and maybe, just maybe, thumbing his nose at the establishment. Collage has always been a radical medium. I think he's saying something about beauty, excess, and the possibility of art. These artists are all in a huge, ongoing conversation.