Massacre of the Innocents 3 1993

Bruno Canova painted "Massacre of the Innocents 3" with oil on canvas. The yellows are layered on in thin glazes, a warm, slightly unsettling ground for the sculptural forms in the foreground. I’m drawn to the lamb itself, the way it’s been built up with textured strokes; it feels almost like a bas-relief sculpture. Look at the cross, how its placed gently on the lamb’s back – there is something very tender but also deeply symbolic about this placement. The barbed wire across the base of the image feels like a jarring note against the symbolism of the lamb and the cross, its placement feels like a statement on the dangers that remain in the world, even within places of sanctuary. Canova reminds me of artists like Leonard Baskin, who also explored religious themes through a deeply personal lens. There's an ambiguity here – a space for contemplation rather than a fixed meaning.