Mark Justiniani (b. 1966)
Lukso
signed and dated 2001 (upper right)
oil on canvas
36" x 36" (91 cm x 91 cm)







This particular work references the popular English nursery rhyme titled Jack Be Nimble. The rhyme itself can be traced back to a manuscript in 1815, and was eventually recorded by English literary scholar James Orchard Halliwell Phillipps in the middle of the 19th Century. The rhyme itself goes “Jack be nimble,Jack be quick,Jack jump over, The candlestick.” Its origins can be traced back to an old English superstition in which jumping over a candlestick without extinguishing its flame can be seen as a sign of good fortune in one’s future. The ritual was often practiced during wedding feasts, both as a way of testing the fate of the newlyweds and as an assessment of their sobriety amidst the overflowing libations of the evening. Justiniani’s piece seemingly utilizes the contextual significance of the nursery rhyme as a device that symbolizes man’s attempt to control fortune and fate. In the work we see a figure attempting to jump over multiple candlesticks. But, as a way of ensuring that the flames don’t go out, the figure employs the aid of an umbrella as a way of softening the impact of his fall. The work itself presents the figure mid-flight, alluding to the fact that although we may call upon the help of external forces, fate and fortune are concepts that will remain partially obscured from our own limited point of view. The works of acclaimed contemporary master Mark Justiniani often oscillate between different kinds and treatments of realism. From the stark realities of Social Realism, to the playful allegories of Magical Realism, Justiniani’s masterful control and use of the genre has made him a defining voice in the local art scene. In this piece, one can clearly see his synthesis of Social and Magical Realism in order to express his unique style and intent. (J.D.)