1. A Mixture of Regret and Compassion
Heinrich Hofmann painted this famous piece in 1888 entitled Christ and the Rich Young Ruler. The following description of the painting is from Brigham Young University’s Museum of Art:
“[The painting] illustrates a story from Mark 10:17-22 where a wealthy young man approaches Jesus and asks Him what he must do to inherit eternal life. Christ gestures toward an impoverished woman and man and invites the man to sell all he has, give it to the poor, and follow Him. The young man is richly dressed with refined features, testifying of his life of wealth and ease. The contrast between rich and poor, pleasure and misery, spiritual and worldly is paramount in this painting.”
“However, it is the detail of the sympathetic head of Christ that has captured the imagination of millions of Christian viewers. It has been reproduced perhaps more than any other image of the Savior. The success of many of Hofmann’s paintings is his ability to offer such empathetic emotion in his figures. Hofmann successfully portrays a mixture of regret and compassion, capturing the great love of the Savior as He invites the young man to sacrifice personal desires to follow Him.”
This depiction has always been my favorite because He looks somewhat frail and worn down. He looks approachable. I’m not a big fan of the LDS Church’s modern depictions of Jesus—whether they be in print or video. They make him look a little too buff, a little too Chippendale and a little too confident. When I recently read the description of the painting from BYU’s Museum of Art I was impressed with the suggestion of “a mixture of regret and compassion.” If I sit quietly and stare at the cropped version below I can feel that transcendent mix.
2. Every Race in His Face
It’s been interesting learning about Jim Carrey as an artist. His painting of Jesus impacted me. In speaking about this piece Jim said, “I wanted you to have the feeling when you looked in His eyes that He was accepting of who you are. I wanted Him to be able to stare at you and heal you from the painting. You can find every race in the face of Jesus and I think that’s how every race imagines Jesus. They imagine Him as their own.”
Jim titled the painting, Electric Jesus. He adds, “Growing up Catholic, Jesus was a powerful and pivotal figure in my life. Whether His story is literal or allegorical, I have no doubt of the power of Christ consciousness. My intent was to capture that power, energy and ultimate understanding as it manifests from the electricity in all things. For The Prince of Peace to gaze into your eyes and see everything you are with total acceptance, forgiveness and love.”
In the video clip below, the first part includes a few of Jim’s thoughts about Jesus Christ that he shared a couple of years ago. The second part of the video is a clip that shows him working on the painting.
3. Rainbow Jesus
My son Parker gave me this print for Fathers’ Day to hang in our home. It’s titled Rainbow Jesus and was painted by an artist named Matt Harris. The proceeds from the sale of the reproduction prints go to the Stockton Memorial Scholarship which honors George and Alyson Duessen’s gay son who died by suicide a few years ago. The scholarship helps several deserving people each year with a portion of their college tuition.
This painting reminds me of two things. First, that God loves our LGBTQ brothers and sisters. Second, that I believe if the LDS Church truly embraces our covenant path narrative we must wholeheartedly reinforce through policy that our LGBTQ brothers and sisters not only have a place in God’s plan of happiness and salvation but that we also want and need them as members in full fellowship now.
Enjoyed your post, Jack.
Thanks, Lois.