Imagery of Jesus
7 Comments Published by Camron Ware - Visual Worshiper June 29th, 2008 in Visual WorshipRecently at IBC, we in the worship department have started the discussion of what images of Christ best fit our community of believers and the journey we are on together, and which images use should probably only use sparingly. The majority of our images of Jesus are typically Western/European in appearance, as seen below:
The question being asked is “Should we have more diverse images of Jesus, so as to connect with a diverse community of believers?” I believe we should, but finding images that are not ‘white’ is relatively difficult. (Remember they also have to be able to have lyrics put on them at times, and in general be aesthetically pleasing.)
The images above are photographs of European churches and cathedrals where they used stained glass to illustrate the truths of the Bible. The type of images I am looking for are from the Byzantine period, representing Christ with a darker complex and narrow nose. I found these below, which are great, but they are hard to find in high enough resolution, and at times can be a little hard to use lyrics with them.
Anyone have any resources for imagery of Christ?
I agree that diversity is needed. The ‘traditional’ (and very white European) stained glass images of Jesus are beautiful and wonderful to bring back into our typically stark and overly utilitarian Protestant Evangelical worship spaces. But that is just a first step. Your second set of images is very nice, bringing an earlier, more iconic style that is more Eastern in origin. These two types of images represent not so much racial diversity as diversity in the breadth of the tradition and history of the Church. That’s great! I think when you mix these images with the more standard modern landscapes, cosmic images, crosses, urban scenes, etc… you create a very diverse mix connecting with modern, post-modern and historical imagery of the Church. BUT none of this addresses the racial/social/global issue that is probably (and should be) your main concern.
The trouble is that much imagery of Jesus that really pushes in this direction may not be even recognized for what it is, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use it or pursue it. Furthermore, there may be other ways bring that diversity besides inculturated versions of Christ. Just diverse people and places in general would be moving in the right direction. Also, artwork and such that reflects the aesthetic of different people groups would be a huge step, even if that art is not of Jesus, or even specifically Christian in origin.
-ROM
Cameron, this is a fascinating topic worthy of deeper study. I’ve found that how a given culture sees Jesus is often expressed in how he is represented in art.
Know of any non-Western studies of how Jesus is represented in art?
I think Jesus looked like Sayid from Lost.
The Byzantine period is my favorite era for Church art. Europe was not entirely formed, and the white Jesus hadn’t been instilled in the minds of believers. This is also the time that many forms of modern theater were born. In fact, the arts became so prominent in the Church that the elders seeking to control began to push them out, and reform the theology to disallow free expression in the arts. So while it was a rich artistic period, it also began the Church’s active role in sterilizing the arts in the Church, and although the Rennaissance featured many forms of Church art, imagery that didn’t conform to Church rule was forced out into the secular marketplace. That is why for centuries, Thank God that U2 helped open our eyes to the fact that the arts cannot thrive under religious rule!
Exactly. There are always patterns.
Today we’re bringing back the art and visual representations, on the other side of the Reformation. I wonder what the next “Reformation” will look like how every many years and decades it is from now…
The question isn’t just the diversity of images, but why people choose to depict Jesus a certain way. Is it to make him more inviting or acceptable to a group, or to deny that he was of another race (http://blogs.pioneerlocal.com/religion). Artistic expression should take many forms, but the motive should be pure.
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