Tormento & Calvario depicts two demons who, armed with piercing weapons and fuelled by bloodlust, collect the suffering of their victims in a golden chalice. Tormento (left), the inflictor, is the Spanish word for torment, which in Latin means both suffering and an instrument of torture. Calvario (right), the bone collector, comes from the Latin for ‘skull’ and is the name of the hill where Jesus was crucified. Some say it was named for its shape, others from the skulls of those executed there.

The painting uses humour and religious symbolism to explore how we express our relationship with death and the supernatural in our everyday lives and cultural expressions.

500x500mm (19.69 inches)
Oil on board
Cradle mount frame mount 23mm

PLEASE NOTE: This piece ships from Australia. It can take up to three weeks to arrive and be subject to customs fees.

Maria Pia Mosquera (b. 1977) is a Colombian-born artist and designer, based in Sydney, Australia. Her current work explores our ambiguous relationship with death through imagery that challenges the macabre with wry humour, using the pervasive religious symbolism of Hispanic culture to bring the otherworldly into the everyday. Her work is held in various private collections in Australia and overseas.