Land of the Blue Virgins

This semester I'm taking a theology course about Mary: Insights and Images.  The topic for my class presentation is going to be about the Blessed Virgin Mary (of course!), specifically the interpretation of the Madonna in blue mantle with arms outstretched.  The Mary Page (http://campus.udayton.edu/mary/index.html
from the Marian Research Institute at University of Ohio/Dayton) features an entire section about Marian art and poetry celebrating Mary!  http://campus.udayton.edu/mary/gallery.html

These images were very inspiring because they are simplistic aesthetically, yet capture the essence of "Mary"...the artist has an interesting presentation of Mary by superimposing photographed images of the statuary in the found environment.  The exhibit describes the artists' work as follows:

What is equally fascinating about this collection, however, is the realism of the individual statues. The variety of the pieces in material, style and execution is remarkable, as well as the occasional architectural settings in shrines or niches. The state of preservation also claims attention, ranging from brand-new unpainted through various stages of wear-and-tear to downright neglect.

Land of the Blue Virgins by artist/photgrapher Mark Charleville
http://campus.udayton.edu/mary/gallery/exhibits/charleville.html