Those words are what my painting is based on.  I wanted to create something with more meaning beyond just the surface of the issue I was concerned about.  I wanted to create something that resembled a masterpiece.  That thought immediately brought to mind the beautiful works of art created by the masters of the Renaissance: the "Madonna with Child" paintings.  These combined ideas are what inspired my painting and what I would like it to represent. I put the starving mother and child in place of Mary and Jesus in a "Mother and Child" scene, in line with what the verse from the Bible says. I chose this issue because I feel starvation is an important topic and that many of the privileged people in the world are not giving enough heed to those who are suffering and dying.

Every year multitudes of people die from starvation and malnutrition-related causes.  How many of these fatalities are young children? The answer is over six million- that's more than six million children under the age of five every year. Six million is more people than the population of the entire country of Denmark. Hunger effects one out of every seven people on earth.  The diet of a third of the world is insufficient, but the world is more than capable of feeding itself.  To feed two starving families for two weeks in war-torn Sudan it only costs $52, about the same amount an American family of four might spend one night on dinner in a restaurant. The harsh effects of starvation could be lessened if people would think of their suffering fellow humanity and direct some of the billions of dollars they spend on personal luxuries to help those in need.
 

Many people in the United States know or consider themselves to be Christians or of the Christian faith. Also the religious works of art created centuries ago are a familiar part of our culture, so maybe some of my ideas are not new to people.  I am hoping that my painting, inspired by the words of Jesus from the Bible, can start people to think about starvation in a different light and begin them thinking about what they can do to help others.

Amy Moore