The artist Keane has been working on the same theme for the past two years. The work is based around a small group of people who have been living and working in Barga for generations, but now as a group are close to extinction – the nuns of Barga. Their numbers can be counted on one hand, and they always seemed to move around in a group.
Just what is the collective noun for a group of nuns .. a flock of nuns, a gaggle .. a pride maybe ?
Very rarely is it possible to spot a single nun in the streets of the city. The main group comprising of three very aged women, all diminutive in stature, and all three of formidable character.
Local residents, describe these three nuns, as always appearing aged. It would seem that nobody can remember them as young women. And there lies the problem, the young Italian women are no longer becoming nuns. It is very difficult to find recent data on the precise number of nuns living and working in Italy but their numbers are decreasing rapidly and even the new novices coming in from Africa and Asia can no longer fill the gap.
Shortly, this compact group of dark clad women moving ghost like through the streets of Barga will be just that – ghostly memories.
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… and what about the work that was being done last month outside the studio ?
wow! great to see the progression of sketches, even on graph paper for proportion etc, through to finished paintings. Thanks Keane for allowing these images to be shared with us on Barganews! I look forward to seeing a show of these at some point in Barga.
Ciao!
Beauly