Title:Cierce – 1998

Artist: Martine Jacobs Medium: Pastel on wood panel, 120 × 90 cm Series: Renaissance Series Technique: Digitally composed on Pentium II using Adobe and PSP; hand-translated into pastel

Description:

Cierce is one of Martine Jacobs’ earliest and most intimate works from her Renaissance Series — named after her daughter, and infused with quiet reverence. Originally designed on a Pentium II computer using early digital tools, the composition was later reinterpreted in pastel on a large wooden panel, allowing the figure to emerge with warmth, softness, and symbolic depth.

The portrait evokes a timeless feminine presence: serene, luminous, and contemplative. Flowing red hair contrasts with green and gold skin tones, creating a surreal yet harmonious palette. The background dissolves into muted blues, enhancing the emotional stillness of the subject.

Cierce stands as a hybrid artifact — part digital memory, part tactile devotion. It reflects Martine’s pioneering process of transforming computer-generated sketches into museum-worthy pastel works, where emotion, symbolism, and craftsmanship converge.