Nicholas Baldion

The Death of a Courier

Jackson's Painting Prize 2021
Oil
Panel
78.5 x 103 cm

“The Death of a Courier is a narrative figure composition that deals, not with a religious subject, but an all to common occurrence. The death of a gig economy worker. Its a painting that is unashamed in having a message; about the value of human life, the everyday drama of a needless death, the daily social murder that is common place. A food delivery workers job is poorly paid, often on bogus ‘self-employed’ contracts. The pressure to work long hours to make ends meet, the pressure to quickly finish a job in order to start the next, doubtless leads to an increase in accidents. Dangerous and badly paid, the current pandemic reveals its also an essential job.

In creating this artwork I leaned on the Renaissance tradition of religious painting. In particular, I looked closely at Annibale Carracci, The Dead Christ Mourned, which hangs in the national gallery and used it as a jumping board for this composition.”