Shaman with Candle

A shaman in trance in the darkness utters the words of a ritual, her face lit only by the dancing flame of the candle she holds in her hands. Are we witnessing a prophecy or a curse?

The image of “Shaman with Candle” is a portrait closer to a photographic report than a pictorial composition: we see the action unfold as if we are directly in front of the protagonist, as if we are the object of the ritual.

On the Shaman’s head, there isn’t a flower as in other Salvi representations, but a thorny crown closer to dry leaves and roots: the connection with the theme of natural magic is evident and foundational.

The scene is both realistic and unrealistic: it is suspended between the observer’s world and the dark, mysterious world of the Shaman that envelops her. The fire of the candle is moved by an unreal wind: is it perhaps the sign of the arrival of a spirit?