A general semantics view of the changing perceptions of Christ (excerpts): modern portrayals of Jesus in works of art.

Introduction

For centuries the image of Jesus' physical appearance has been etched into people's minds. Children learn in Sunday school at a young age what Jesus looked like. The most typical North American representation is a tall, lean, Caucasian man with long, flowing, light brown hair. The man has fair skin and light-colored eyes, but the typical North American image of what Jesus looked like is changing (Fillon p.68). This paper will look at some of the new ways in which Jesus is being portrayed in the 21st century. It will also discuss the relationship of how Jesus is portrayed to the study of general semantics.

The New Image of Jesus in Paintings in the 21st Century

The typical North American portrayal of Jesus is one that has definitely seen its share of changes. The most common image of Christ is that of a tall, lean man with long, flowing brown hair. It is the image that is instilled in most North American children and adults. Many artists are changing the image of Jesus, however, in works of art to reflect the changing culture of the 21st century. According to an article entitled, "The Computerized Jesus," found at the website www.bbc.co.uk/religion, "The past hundred years has seen a greater variety than ever before. Christ patriarchal, youthful, subversive, mystical pacifist, human, satirical--and even all singing and dancing has been portrayed in many artistic works" (BBCi). Following are several examples of the new image of Jesus in the 21st century.

Stephen Sawyer--Modern Image of Christ

Stephen Sawyer is an artist from Versailles, Kentucky, who paints Jesus in a nontraditional fashion. Sawyer does not paint Christ as the typical image that North Americans are used to. His paintings rarely depict Jesus as a man in a white robe and sandals. Sawyer's "Art for God" series consists of paintings of Jesus that he hopes will appeal to the youth of today (Artist's 7C).

One of Sawyer's goals is to depict Jesus in a contemporary setting as a contemporary man. He does just that in his work entitled, "No Appointment Necessary." In this particular work, Jesus is portrayed as a handsome, muscular man wearing a T-shirt and jeans. Not only is Jesus wearing nontraditional dress in the painting, he is also sporting a red heart tattoo on his arm with the word, "Father," printed across it (Artist's 7C). A picture of, "No Appointment Necessary," can be seen in appendix A. [Appendix not included here.]

Stephen Sawyer's contemporary depictions of Christ are not solely limited to "No Appointment Necessary." Another of Sawyer's paintings entitled, "Undefeated," portrays Christ in a boxing ring wearing boxing gloves. Jesus is also seen laughing in his painting, "Joy to the World." It is clear that Sawyer's depictions of Jesus are far from the traditional robed, gentle portrayals of Christ, and Sawyer has a definite mission behind his paintings.

In no way is Sawyer attempting to degrade Jesus as a religious figure or trying to be sacrilegious. According to an article by the Associated Press that can be found in the March 22, 2003, edition of the Kearney Hub, Sawyer states, "My mission is to accurately reflect the life and teachings of Jesus in the 21st century. I want to reach everyone with the message of Jesus" (Artist's 7C). Several scholars of religion are using Sawyer's works to teach classes at universities across the United States. In the same Kearney Hub article, John Zylka, a director at Plymouth Christian Academy in Plymouth, Michigan states, "One of Steve's goals is to really bring Jesus into the 21st century, and I think it's much easier for the youth to relate" (Artist's 7C). Many other artists are taking an approach similar to Sawyer's when portraying Jesus in their works.

Janet McKenzie--Black Image of Christ

Another example of a nontraditional portrayal of Jesus can be found in Janet McKenzie's works. Just as Stephen Sawyer attempts to reach all walks of life with his depictions of Christ, so does Janet McKenzie. The most notable of McKenzie's modern images of Jesus is seen in her painting entitled, "Jesus of the People." The painting portrays Christ as a robed, haloed man. It is set on a pink background where a yin-yang symbol can be seen (First). According to Sister Wendy Beckett in an article entitled, "A Dark-Skinned Jesus for the Millennium," McKenzie's painting of Jesus is, "A haunting image of a peasant Jesus--dark, thick-lipped, looking out on us with dignity, with sadness but with confidence" (Carroll). A picture of "Jesus of the People" can be seen in appendix B. [Appendix not included here.]

Janet McKenzie agrees with viewers of her work that "Jesus of the People" is the portrayal of Jesus as an African American man, but she hopes that people will see more than just his dark skin when looking at the work. According to McKenzie, "The pink in the painting's background is both a reference to femininity as well as to the color of blood. The feather symbolizes transcendent knowledge while paying homage to Native American culture and spirituality" (Carroll). It is fitting that viewers would also see a hint of femininity in the figure of Jesus in "Jesus of the People" considering that McKenzie used an African American female model for her depiction of Christ in the work.

McKenzie's attempts to portray Jesus in the 21st century have won her some praise. "Jesus of the People" was chosen by the National Catholic Reporter, one of the most widely read Catholic publications in the country, as the picture of Christ that donned the cover of its millennium issue. It is clear that McKenzie's straying from the traditional depictions of Christ as a Caucasian male appeal to the diverse 21st century population in the United States.

It is clear that the North American traditional image of Christ has changed in the 21st century from the traditional depiction of Christ as a tall, lean, long haired, Caucasian male to images more fitting of the culture of the new millennium. Not only has the depiction of Jesus changed in paintings, but it has also been modernized in sculptures and humorous works. Any depiction of Jesus, whether traditional or nontraditional, has significance in the study of general semantics.

How Depictions of Jesus Relate to General Semantics

The relationship of portraying Jesus in works of art to the study of general semantics comes in the fact that any portrayal, whether modern or traditional, is an assumption. According to People in Quandaries by Wendell Johnson, "The observations we make are incomplete. They are abstracted from something--from what we have represented in our diagram as the submicroscopic level of inferential data; therefore, we make assumptions" (p.104). From this description of how people make assumptions, it is clear that all portrayals of Jesus are merely inferences as to what He looked like.

The significance of creating images of Christ to the study of general semantics is important in the fact that no evidence of the appearance of Jesus exists in the Bible and there is no scientific evidence of His appearance; there-fore, every image of Jesus that is created is based on an assumption as to what He looked like. All depictions of Jesus are simply projections of the artist's perception of Jesus. Everyone who knows Jesus has a mental picture of what He looks like. The important aspect to remember is that how one portrays Jesus is merely an assumption because no evidence of His physical appearance exists.

WORKS CITED

Associated Press. "Artist's Paintings Depict Modern Image of Christ." Kearney Hub 22-23 March 2003: 7C.

BBCi. "The Computerized Jesus." 26 March 2003. www.bbc.co.uk/religion/tv_radio/sog/icon1.shtml.

Carroll, Rebecca. "A dark-Skinned Jesus for the Millennium." 1 March 2003. 26 March 2003 http://www.beliefnet.com/story/12/story_1231.html.

Carter, Jimmy. Sources of Strength. New York: Times Books, 1997.

Faithzone Videos. "Jesus in the UK." 16 November 2000. 26 March 2003 http://the faithzone.org.uk/8jesus_activ2.html.

Fillon, Mike. "The Real Face of Jesus." Popular Mechanics. Dec. 2002: pp.68+.

First Unitarian Church of Rochester. "Taking the World by Calm: A Christmas Eve Meditation." 23 April 2000. First Unitarian Church of Rochester. 26 March 2003 http://www.rochesterunitarian.org/1999-2000/991224.html.

Johnson, Wendell. People in Quandaries. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1946.

"Was Jesus a Black, Jewish, Mexican Woman?" 1 March 2003. 26 March 2003 http://www.beliefnet.com/story/12/story_1231.html.

RAEANN BURTON, BETH MARYOTT, & MEGAN O'BYRNE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA AT KEARNEY