I was wondering if anybody knew of the Catholic statue that is mentioned in the "Raquel" passage:
"...this photo of a statue of a woman whose stone robes were half hiked up and wrinkled in the most godawfully sensually prurient way, the woman reclined against uncut rock, her robes hiked and one stone foot hanging off the rock as her legs hung parted, with a grinning little totally psychotic-looking cherub-type angel standing on the lady's open thighs and pointing a bare arrow at where the stone robe hid her cold tit, the woman's fae upturned and cocked and pinched into that exact same shuddering-protozoan look beyond pleasure or pain" (373).
Is this a reference to a real statue? Does anyone know? If so, I'd be interested to see an image.
I am Catholic and I have never heard of that statue. In fact, I was quite taken aback by its description. I have never heard of Catholic icons/art looking quite that graphic.
I remember reading that and thinking, "This is describing a RELIGIOUS statue?!" It seems more pagan to me than Catholic, and, likewise, I've never heard of it.
Yes, it's real. Just type it into the google "St Teresa's" something or another.
thanks, i found it:
http://www.angelo.edu/faculty/rprestia/1301/images/IN415aBern.jpg
wow...wallace described it perfectly