Rebirth (From the series "Neo-Renaissance")

Oil on Canvas. Unframed 39" x 67" / 99cm x 169cm

This artwork, by Cuban artist Maikel Benitez, reads like a beautifully engineered puzzle—one in which two of history’s most iconic sculptures, Michelangelo’s David and the ancient Venus, have been deliberately interlocked to form a new, visionary figure. The artist fuses David’s athletic torso with Venus’s poised elegance, creating a hybrid body that resists easy categorization. What emerges is a rebirth of the Renaissance itself: a new canon built not on rigid ideals, but on fluidity, multiplicity, and the refusal of binaries.

In this merged figure, strength and softness coexist without friction. The broken classical limbs and the serene, contemplative face act as clues, urging the viewer to piece together a narrative about identity that transcends traditional gender roles. The subtle halo behind the head elevates the sculpture beyond myth, signaling a new kind of sanctity—one that honors transformation, autonomy, and the right to define oneself.

At its core, this work reclaims the monumental tradition of marble heroes and goddesses to champion contemporary values. It reframes the classical body as a vessel for empowerment, particularly for women and those whose identities were historically marginalized or erased. The painting suggests that the future of beauty, like the future of equality, lies in embracing complexity—where the sacred and the human, the masculine and the feminine, the broken and the powerful all coexist in a single, resonant form.