Vulgatae

Acrylic on Canvas. Framed 16"x14"/ 40cm x 35cm  Note: frame measurements

By Argentinian Artist Orcas Azerlav

In Vulgatae, Orcas Azerlav anchors his imagery in a word laden with historical and spiritual weight. Vulgatae derives from Vulgata, the Latin name for the Vulgate Bible—the authoritative translation of Hebrew and Greek scriptures into Latin, completed by St. Jerome in the 4th century. Its name comes from editio vulgata, meaning “the edition made common or for the people,” a text intended to unify understanding across the Christian world. Yet the painting subverts this notion of accessibility: the book here is timeworn, bound tightly with red cord, and sealed by a keyhole whose matching key lies temptingly atop it.

Azerlav’s composition evokes the paradox at the heart of sacred texts—the tension between what is meant to be shared widely and what remains elusive, encoded, or restricted through time. Though the Vulgata was historically a bridge meant to bring divine words to the public, this painted volume feels withdrawn, guarded, or perhaps deliberately obscured. The viewer becomes acutely aware of the fragile boundary between revelation and secrecy.

Through this restrained yet symbolically charged image, Azerlav transforms the book into an artifact of collective memory and contested meaning: a vessel of ancient knowledge whose promise of truth can only be unlocked by confronting the mysteries it protects.