Sunday, April 10, 2011

The Real Face of Christ

I have recently been drawn to various depictions of the Savior Jesus Christ especially those claimed to be the most accurate images of his face. It's been spiritually uplifting for me to compare the similarities of these images and learn the stories behind the artists and their artwork. Here are the four I found to be most fascinating. At the bottom of this blog post I share with you my thoughts and feelings about the real face of Christ.

"Christ in Red Robe" by Del Parson
This image of the Savior, Jesus Christ, wearing a red robe as prophesied he will at the Second Coming.

According to the artist Del Parson, the painting was commissioned by the Church, but he worked with the curriculum department to create a painting suitable for their needs. There were several revisions in the process to develop a picture suitable for their needs. This portrait is widely used in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Days Saints. This was also his first portrait of Jesus.

After the death of his wife Joycel and youngest daughter in a 1978 car accident, Parson felt inspired to begin painting primarily religious subjects.The LDS Church has commissioned Parson to paint over 240 works.



"Prince of Peace" by Akiane Kramarik

Akiane Kramarik is primarily a self-taught painter. She began displaying her gift with art at the age of four and painted this portrait of Jesus Christ at the young age of eight. She states that God has given her the visions and abilities to create her artwork, which is unusual for her family, considering both her parents were atheist at the time (they later converted to Christianity on account of Kramarik's paintings and visions). According to Kramarik, her art is inspired by her visions of heaven, and her personal connection with God.

Scientific Rendering "the Real Face of Jesus Christ" (as featured on the History Channel) by Ray Downing

The artists worked to pull impressions from the Shroud of Turin, the famed blood-stained linen that many believe was the burial cloth of the crucified Christ. The ancient shroud contains a faint impression of the front and back of a human body, along with blood, dirt and water stains from its age.

Ray Downing, president of Studio Macbeth who oversaw this project says "Jesus was more than just a spiritual event. Studying the Shroud to produce the 3D face of Jesus, we encountered scientific evidence that the resurrection was a real physical event that happened in a moment of time 2,000 years ago. The Shroud of Turin provides actual scientific proof that Jesus rose from the dead".

It was scientifically proven that that the image impressed upon the Shroud of Turin was done so by a powerful amount of light that pierced through the fabric, imprinting a permanent image of Jesus' face.

Cutting-edge modern skills were required to pull an accurate flesh and blood face from a piece of fabric so old. The year-long project culminated with a team of graphic artists using the newest technology to create a computer-generated image.

One of the main problems -- the condition of the shroud -- provided key clues. The team realized there were distortions in the image on the shroud because the fabric had been wrapped around the body.

"The solution was to realize that the shroud wasn't hanging on the wall – it was wrapping a corpse. That's the crux of the problem -- the face is hidden in there," said Downing, who has also used computers to create images of Abraham Lincoln.

"By imitating those distortions we could take the image and put it back into that shape and figure out what the face looked like … it gave us a blueprint," he added.

One the blueprint was formed, the computer artists started the recreation. Of course, there were limitations to what they could do with what they had.

"Inevitably, you do run out of information," Downing said. "You can't see the pores in a linen fabric. There are no eyebrows. It doesn't take a lot of guesswork to assign pores and skin texture to a model, to know that the man did have eyebrows and to provide them. At some point, you do have to leave the realm of actual information and use experience."


http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/tv/is_this_christ_v5CFHmU9RIPuItcWzHfcEM
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/real-face-jesus-christ/story?id=10235129&page=2
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2485588/posts

"Christ's Image" by Heinrich Hofmann

Heinrich Hofmann (March 19, 1824-June 23, 1911) was a German painter and the uncle of the German painter Ludwig von Hofmann.

Heinrich Hofmann was one of the pre-eminent painters of his time. The Sunday Strand – at that time a very popular British magazine– describes him as the most influential contemporary German painter. In the beginning of 1854, his beloved mother died. He was deeply moved by her death and it inspired him to paint his first large religious work: Burial of Christ.

More and more he devoted himself to the genre of religious paintings. The religious body of Hofmann’s work has gained in importance in the past years. One of the reasons for the increasing popularity of his artwork is the publication of his paintings and pencil drawings depicting the life of Jesus Christ in The Second Coming of Christ, the interpretation of the Bible by Paramhansa Yogananda, the teacher of Yoga.

President Monson who presides as over the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has a portrait of the Savior as painted by Heinrich Hofmann hanging in his office.


My Thoughts

From the glorified images of the resurrected Christ to his last moments in pain and suffering while in mortality - these images all portray the unwavering love our Savior has for us. I have concluded that to know his real face isn't to know him at all. If we want to know the Savior then we must learn of him and try to be like him. When we feel charity and compassion for others then we know the Savior. To know that he loved us enough to freely sacrifice himself so that we could have eternal life and that he suffered our pain and sins so that we could be forgiven through him is a testimony of his unconditional love for us as well our Father in Heavens'.

In the most recent General Conference I loved the words of Elder Kent F. Richards of the Seventy. In his talk about the atonement he said,

"Late one night lying in a hospital bed, this time as a patient and not as a physician, I read those verses over and over again. I pondered: “How is it done? For whom? What is required to qualify? Is it like forgiveness of sin? Do we have to earn His love and help?” As I pondered, I came to understand that during His mortal life Christ chose to experience pains and afflictions in order to understand us. Perhaps we also need to experience the depths of mortality in order to understand Him and our eternal purposes."

It is my prayer and testimony that all who come unto him will be perfected through him. To feel his love and live with him again is worth all the trials, pain, suffering and hard work that we encounter in this life. Let us show our love for him by trying to be more like him and standing as a witness of him at all times and in all things and in all places. That is the greatest gift we can give him. I say this in the name of Jesus Christ amen.

26 comments:

LeAnn said...

I drop by today and found your post. What a lovely post. I loved the art work and the thoughts on the artists. Your testimony was sweet. Blessings for sharing these thoughts. I was uplifted today.
Blessings to you! LeAnn
Drop by my site sometime:
Living Waters @ http://lgwilliams.blogspot.com/

Lindsey said...

Thank you! I visited your blog and it is very uplifting as well. I'm happy to add your button in hopes to share your blog with others. Love the messages you have shared!

Lindsey

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Lindsey said...

comments that are aimed at ridiculing my beliefs or posts in any way will be deleted. There is plenty of that on the internet and is not needed here. This is a place for positive & uplifting words and feelings.

Dreiamari said...

Do you have a facebook page because I would love to become a fan!

Anonymous said...

Thank you for these wonderful favorites!

I love Jesus!

arlene

Anonymous said...

I enjoyed seeing these images of our Savior, especially since I had never heard of the girl who painted The Prince of Peace. I happened upon this from another website about the Urantia Book that I also happened upon because I was trying to find an image posted on Air1.com last week, I never found it though. I really like your prayer at the end because it is what is true about finding or getting to know Jesus.
I am "weirded" out by this Urantia book because it is very detailed about The Heavens, things I already understood in my heart, but was in shock to find out that there was such a detailed and lengthy book written about things we ought not have an understanding on in this realm. Have you seen it or do you have any thoughts on that Lindsey? I don't know who else to ask.
I'm very sorry to see that someone would bother going to, reading, and commenting on your blog something awful enough that you needed to delete it, and it happened on my birthday no less?! I don't have any of the other things to post this comment, so it has to be anonymous, I'm sorry. God Bless you...Ashley Summers

Lindsey said...

Thanks Dreiamari and Arlene! My FB page is How to Date Your Spouse.

Lindsey said...

Thank you Ashley! I have never heard of the book you mentioned. I will look into it and see what I think. I too love the topic about the heavens. There are several books I have read that I'd be happy to send the links to you if you send me your email. Also, I would love to talk with you anytime about this topic and what I have learned and know to be true about it. I'm glad you found my blog!

Lindsey

Tiffanie said...

Hi Lindsey - I received "Heaven is Real" for Christmas and finished it tonight, which led me to browsing the internet for the painting by Akiane and more browsing led me here to your site - love your blog! I attended a fireside by Tomas Kofod shortly after he filmed The Testaments - he had some amazing experiences with that - I will try to blog about it, but I think that is probably what this audio cd is about - thought you might be interested :) http://www.amazon.com/HIS-IMAGE-MY-COUNTENANCE-AUDIO/dp/B001TI73E8/ref=sr_1_sc_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324966021&sr=1-2-spell

DoesJesusLoveMe? said...

It is late one night after a sick day of lying around to get well. (mild virus)
I am so happy to find someone who has had the same thoughts and investigation about the appearance of Jesus and the same conclusion - that what matters is our relationship with Him.
For the first time tonight I watched all 6 YouTube postings of the Shroud of Turin documentary. I was very impressed by their scientific methods and discoveries. I had never before thought of how the resurrection occurred. OF COURSE it had to be in a nanosecond with a burst of light or energy!
I am grateful that you took all the time to put this together because now I will pin it on Pinterest and share it on FB and Twitter! :D You've done a great job!
Perhaps I will meet you someday if you live in Utah.
Again, thank you for this great work and for your shining testimony!
Susan

DoesJesusLoveMe? said...

Dear Lindsey,
Confusion on posting a comment here. Thought I already submitted a comment. If so, just use the one you want. :D
Thank you for all your great work here! I will be sharing it on pinterest, FB and Twitter.
I, like you, have been comparing the images and coming to the same conclusion as you did about a year ago.
Best regards!

Lindsey said...

Thank you Susan. It's always humbling to hear kind comments. I appreciate you sharing this post and my blog. I love to share what I learn on this blog and what I know to be true. If I touch just a few souls then it has been worth it. Thanks for sharing!

Lindsey

Anonymous said...

WELL,I FEEL WE BELIEVERS HAVE THE RIGHT TO KNOW WHAT OUR LORD AND MASTER LOOKED LIKE.WHEN I WAS A KID I USED TO LOOK AT HIS PICTURE ON THE CROSS AND CRIED FOR THE UNJUST TREATMENT JESUS WAS GIVEN,BUT I GREW UP TO FIND OUT I WAS LOOKING AT SOME KIND OF MOVIE ACTOR USED AS JESUS.
IT IS ALSO NATURAL THAT IF A CHILD WAS BORN YEARS AFTER HIS FATHER HAD DIED,HE WOULD CHERISH TO KNOW HOW HIS LATE FATHER LOOKED LIKE.
OUR CURIOSITY IS NOT OUT OF ORDER.STAY BLESSED.
-EMMANUEL(LAGOS,NIGERIA)

Tiffanie said...

Hey Lindsey, my father in law just brought this pictures to my attention that was President Lee's favorite, took me a while to find an image of it, but here you go, another one to add to the list - http://dbflagship.blogspot.com/2011/07/harold-b-lees-favorite.html

Lindsey said...

Thanks for sharing this link Tiffanie!

Anonymous said...

Stumbled on your blog searching for images of the Christ in Red Robe painting. Was struggling after today and your testimony was part of what gave me some hope. Thanks Lindsey :)

Lindsey said...

You are welcome! Come visit here anytime. :)

Anonymous said...

Hi Lindsey, my name is sue, I really don,t know what to say only that I believe in Jesus and I sometimes feel like I want to go back home but I'm not sure if I'm good enough, I have never read the bible as I'm not very good with words and understanding the words as I'm not very clever I sometimes think that people laugh at you for believing in something good, why is that,, why are people afraid of something that is good and pure,, I'm sorry I sometimes go on abit... Thankyou for the information and the lovely paintings of Jesus, you said that we don,t need a picture or a painting to know Jesus is with us , I do agreed with you but for me I just feel when I look at the painting that akiane painted I feel like he is really looking at me and I got a one to one with him I know that sound really silly but that is how it feels, thankyou so much for all the information its was very good ,, god bless you

Anonymous said...

Hi Lindsey, my name is sue, I really don,t know what to say only that I believe in Jesus and I sometimes feel like I want to go back home but I'm not sure if I'm good enough, I have never read the bible as I'm not very good with words and understanding the words as I'm not very clever I sometimes think that people laugh at you for believing in something good, why is that,, why are people afraid of something that is good and pure,, I'm sorry I sometimes go on abit... Thankyou for the information and the lovely paintings of Jesus, you said that we don,t need a picture or a painting to know Jesus is with us , I do agreed with you but for me I just feel when I look at the painting that akiane painted I feel like he is really looking at me and I got a one to one with him I know that sound really silly but that is how it feels, thankyou so much for all the information its was very good ,, god bless you

Lindsey said...

Hi Sue! Glad you found my blog. Please visit often. I think people fear the word of God because it isn't always popular. If we are willing to do what is not popular in the world but pleasing to God we will have the greatest reward when we die. Focusing on where we came from, why we are here and where we are going when we die should be the motivation for the life we live. I hope my blog helps answer those questions and is a beacon of light in a dark world! I'd love to chat with you anytime. :)

Anonymous said...

Love this. Just watched Heaven is for Real tonight and also googled her painting. It's gorgeous. I had a thought about the Shroud I'd love to get your thoughts on.. In Hiroshima, when the atom bomb went off, the energy and light from the blast was so bright and powerful that it left people's shadows on the sidewalks they had just been sitting on. You can still see those memorials there in Hiroshima today. Remembered that tonight when reading the theory on the shroud imprint. Totally makes sense. I love it when science and faith collide in truth in my mind. :-) Thank you for sharing your testimony. :-) Shannon

Anonymous said...

For visual reference of the Hiroshima shadows : http://www.walltowatch.com/view/32432/The+Everlasting+Shadows+Of+Hiroshima

Lindsey said...

Thanks Shannon, that is such a great point about Hiroshima! So glad you found my blog :)

Anonymous said...

There is a scriptural precedence that in order to meet the Savior you have to go through Satan first. Del Parson's depiction is interesting and has a lot of history behind it. But I have heard from two people who have personally met the Savior that Mr. Parson's painting looks more like Satan than it does of Jesus Christ.

Personally, I have more faith in the image of an eight year old then I do of "the drunkards of Ephraim." Isaiah 28:1-5

Unknown said...

Hi there... I’m a professional artist and have studied most of the popular images of Christ but find that to make a guess about the eyes of Christ might be a step too far, ie: interpreting the eyes is a judgement. Just a personal view but I think it rather cheapens an image that is so powerful.

I have written about this artistic dilemma by way of an allegory that has been picked up by Catholic theologian writers, as documented on my website:

www.reedeemer.com

I hope that it may be of interest. I think that the eyes-closed image leaves more room for the imagination. I appreciate that its not the biggest issue in the world today but thought it might be nice to have an image that allows the viewers imagination some room for contemplation.

Yours sincerely,

Jonathan B
Artist
Ireland