The Three Wise Men-Take Away This Cup (Old Masters Retold series 2021) is a charcoal drawing of 60 cm x 63 cm on Fabriano paper. It is a transcription of an old master ‘The Adoration of the Kings’ by Jan Gossaert (1500). This painting has always fascinated me as it portrays the black king Balthasar with a white manservant. It is unusual to see this relationship in historical works. I chose the nativity scene as it has traditionally been acted out by young children in schools throughout Britain and therefore a fitting subject to focus on childhood.
My interpretation of this work is a tribute to my 3 heroes; Ian Wright, Raheem Sterling, and Marcus Rashford for their work off-pitch in voicing their concerns with respect to childhood suffering in Britain to