A SACRIFICE WAS NEEDED, 48”x 58”, acrylic on canvas
“A Sacrifice Was Needed” is a composition involving the squared rectangle and a Friar Bonacci division of the square. The background is the Lagoon Nebula found in our own galaxy but exchanges places with the blue contrailed sky of Florida, making both of them the “background.” “Background” is also a term referring to religious history, the subject of this painting. The double figure tied to a travois is both a wild boar and the Greek god Pan. There are other references to other religious sacrifices, as well as a hidden cross. The birds are symbolic of the spirit. Sacrificial offerings/killings are as old as the human race and date beyond civilization. We are no exception.
James H. Vredevoogd holds a BA from Michigan State University and an MFA in painting from Cranbrook Academy of Art. His paintings are in the permanent collections of two museums, two universities, and various private collections. An Emeritus professor of Art at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, he taught painting, drawing, and performance Art for thirty-two years.