description Dolorosa Overview
Bill Viola's Dolorosa (2000) is a video diptych from his Passions series depicting two grief-stricken faces, referencing devotional Mater Dolorosa iconography through high-definition slow-motion video.
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What artwork series does Bill Viola's Dolorosa belong to?
"Dolorosa" is a part of Bill Viola's "Passions" series, created in 2000. The series explores extreme human emotion through high-definition, slow-motion video portraits.
What is depicted in Bill Viola's Dolorosa diptych?
The video diptych depicts two grief-stricken faces expressing profound sorrow. The subjects are rendered in extreme slow motion to capture every micro-expression of their agony.
What does the title Dolorosa refer to in Bill Viola's artwork?
The title directly references the "Mater Dolorosa," or the Sorrowful Mother, which is a devotional subject in traditional Christian iconography. Viola translates this historical religious mourning into a modern, secular video context.
How is time manipulated in Bill Viola's Dolorosa?
Viola uses extreme high-definition slow-motion video to stretch out the brief moments of the subjects' emotional breakdowns. This temporal manipulation forces the viewer to intensely study the physical manifestations of their grief.
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