Title: Existence

“Existence” is a research based collection of image references. The narrative of humanity represented in one moment is established by referencing art historical iconography such as, “The Adoration of the Child is depicted in this 17th-century painting by Dutch artist Gerard van Honthorst”, alongside contemporary culture references such as Pig Pen from the Peanuts cartoon.

The two pieces “Existence” and “Need” are a part of a larger collection of twelve paintings from Mackenzie’s Senior Thesis series Theophanies. These works in particular are about universality of the human experience and exploration of life.