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The Image of Christ
When you talk to someone on the telephone that you have never met, do
you visualize what that person might look like? When you read a book, do
you visualize how the characters might look? When you think of Christ,
what image do you visualize?
The image of Christ has long been depicted in various ways reflecting
the artistic styles and a particular moment in history in which the
artist lived. When envisioning Christ today, most people probably think
of the image as depicted in Sunday school material when we were young –
the longhaired, bearded, youthful Caucasian with the distinguished look
of royalty. Or we may think of the Old Masters depiction of Christ with
an appeal of the common man that also projects a feeling of importance
and holiness.
Artists still today are faced with the daunting task of trying to
present a recognizable image of Christ, but also an image that
represents humanity and that creates a ‘presence’. Does one focus on
Jesus' human nature or on the divine aspect of who He was. This is after
all the Son of God, and yet the image must represent descriptions given
us in the Bible.
So how does a contemporary artist of today portray Christ – this
incomparable presence? In England, the traveling exhibition “Presence:
Images of Christ for the Third Millennium” asks this question and
presents the works of major British artists as representation. From
paintings and sculpture to performance pieces, the exhibition
“challenged contemporary religious artists to be less bland and embrace
the unexpected”.
In the introduction for the “Presence” exhibition guidebook, Rowan
Williams has stated: “That is what the artist tackling this most
impossible of tasks is after; it is both the extreme case of every
artistic challenge and something that cannot be addressed except in
relation to these particularities, these stories, this face and figure.
We watch expectantly as the artist searches for the appropriate form of
the uncanny, waiting to see if our world becomes strange as a result of
having this particular stranger, Jesus, introduced into it.”
Dan Hardison
Editor, The Episcopal Church and Visual Arts
editor@ecva.org
The Biblelands’ ministry, a non-denominational Christian charity founded
in 1854, organized the exhibition to mark its 150th anniversary. It will
be a linked series of exhibitions in six cathedrals throughout Britain
in 2004. To learn more about Biblelands, the exhibition, and to view
selections of the art from the exhibition visit
www.biblelands.org.uk.
To view art by the
Old Masters, visit Olga’s Gallery at
www.abcgallery.com. Select Christian Saints Index, New
Testament Notes, or Religion Notes Index for an extensive
list of online images of Christ and other biblical representations.
There is also comprehensive documentation. |
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Crucifixion
By Christine Parson
From the ECVA exhibition
In the Cross of Christ, 2001
Fourteenth Station:
Jesus is Laid in the Tomb
By Victor Challenor
From the ECVA exhibition
Walking the Way of the Cross in the
21st Century, 2003 |
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Articles
The Stanzas
By James
Zingarelli
Artist
James
Zingarelli talks about his paintings based on the
Italian word for room, stanza. In these paintings he explores
characters, events, and relationships that make up our daily lives
in the hope of finding "generosity,
hospitality, and music for your soul".
More . . . |
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The
mission of The Episcopal Church and Visual Arts
(ECVA) is to encourage artists, individuals,
congregations, and scholars to engage the visual arts in
the spiritual life of the church. ECVA values the
significance of visual imagery in spiritual formation
and the development of faith, and creates programs to
support those who are engaged in using the visual arts
in spiritual life.
To learn more about ECVA, please visit
www.ecva.org. |
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