Elise Aleman

Shema

Mixed Media: Oil and wax on canvas

48 x 30 inches

Shema draws from Deuteronomy 6:7, where God’s words are to be spoken daily and placed upon the doorposts of the home. In this painting, a mother carrying her child crosses the threshold of a worn Cuban doorway—an ordinary yet sacred passage between the outside world and the refuge of home. The oversized entrance symbolizes both physical and spiritual transition: inheritance, protection, and faith passed between generations. In a culture of material abundance, this image invites reflection on the threshold as a place where love, memory, and devotion dwell.