This Beginning of Miracles

Belongs to Exhibition
Power Up
In this gestural swirl of pink, yellow, and green paint, two central figures, who are holding cups and wearing crowns, embrace each other. In the background, individuals sitting at counters, standing in lines, and leaning over a cradle are also distinguishable, as well as various jars and other scenes.

Corita Kent, artist (1918 – 1986)
International Graphic Arts Society, publisher (est. 1951)
Screenprint/serigraph on paper
ed. 210
1953
1984.2.64

This Beginning of Miracles likely depicts Mary with Jesus as he performs the miracle of turning water into wine at the Marriage at Cana. Corita uses the technique of color screenprinting, where multiple screens are printed on one surface, one screen per color. This print used twenty-three screens, or color separations, for the final image. Each matrix needed to be in alignment for the sheet to be covered and the composition to emerge.