The Marriage

During a Christian marriage ceremony the bridal couple traditionally stands before a minister to take their vows. Facing the minister the man is on the right and the woman on the left. It is said that this position was established so the man's right hand is free to take up arms to ward off an attack, while also placing his heart close to his betrothed.

In The Marriage I have used this position of the couple as the basis of the composition in order to convey the general theme of marriage. To enhance the theme I have also included several other elements. For example, the spiraling ribbons that envelope the couple reference their eternal union. The two doves flying above, which carry the loose ribbon ends toward each other to be tied, symbolize the impending completion of their vows. The rings, which connect the sections of ribbons, represent the traditional exchange of weddings rings that link the couple. Lastly, the woman's hand placed on top of the man's hand, which is positioned at the center of the composition, symbolizes their physical love and unity.

There is also a magical or otherworldly aspect to The Marriage. Instead of standing on a ground plane the couple floats in an amorphous space. The space is vertically divided into two sections – a dark bottom section that represents the lonely void and an upper light-filled section that represents life and love. The figures are also divided into two discrete parts – a bottom half that references the corporeal nature of life and an upper half that reinforces their love and spiritual unity. This sense of unity is also depicted by the merging of the light of their love and the particles emanating from their bodies. Together the figures symbolize that marriage is a complete body and soul commitment – an eternal union of two souls.

- Brian Mains, April 2020