This too is heroic

In this painting, Lindy Lee reproduces a detail from
'The disrobing of Christ' 1577–59 by Domḗnikos
Theotokópoulos (1541–1614), the artist best known
as El Greco (The Greek). The original painting
depicts Jesus moments before the crucifixion,
surrounded by a crowd of people. In contrast,
'This too is heroic' focuses on the solitary figure of
a man bent over the base of the cross, diligently
drilling a hole for the nail that will soon follow.

Using a method known as encaustic painting, Lee
rendered the canvas in red before covering it in
a layer of wax and black pigment which, when
eroded and scraped away, reveals the shape
of a man glowing through the darkness. Lee’s
appropriation of this fragmentary image is tied to
her personal story as a Chinese Australian, and her
search for a sense of identity through the grand
narratives of Western art history.