Pantocrator

Contemporary artist Vincent Desiderio often formats his work in large-scale diptychs or triptychs, relating his representational painting style to art historical precedents. Desiderio sees himself as a critic of a "modernist paradigm" marked by dysfunctional social relationships and the narcissistic pursuit of fame. His wish to "invigorate aesthetics with social responsibility" is reflected in his often painfully personal images of friends, family, and his disabled son, presented as visual juxtapositions laden with allegorical meaning. In 1996, Desiderio was the first American to win the prestigious International Prize of Contemporary Art given by the Prince Pierre Foundation of the Principality of Monaco. the Greek word "pantocrator" translated as "ruler of all," is an art historical term that has been used to identify depictions of Christ enthroned, looking out at the viewer with a commanding gaze. In this work, Desiderio flanks a fantastic image of a space station with a voyeuristic glimpse of a woman showering and part of the facade of the famed cathedral in Florence known as the Duomo. These disparate images set up a conversation about seeing, involving Renaissance perspective, the psychological gaze, and the unblinking mechanical eye of the camera.