The Gospels do not give a description of Jesus' appearance, nor do any other early Christian texts. Yet everyone has a picture of what they think Christ looked like. The National Gallery in London is marking the year 2000 with an exhibition that explores aspects of the representation of Jesus Christ over two millennia.
From Roman times to the present days, artists faced the same problem: how to represent the Christ they wished to show. The exhibition looks at some of the problems and illustrates some of the answers. How can an artist represent someone who is God and man, human and divine?
Three 20th century paintings of Christ that caused widespread public reaction are brought together for the first time: "The Light of the World" (1900-1904) by Holman Hunt usually hangs in St Paul's Cathedral; "The Resurrection, Cookham" from the Tate Gallery is by Stanley Spencer, and aroused passionate interest from critics and public in the 1920s; and "The Christ of St John of the Cross" by Salvador Dali (1951) owned by Glasgow City corporation.
The free exhibition is entitled "Seeing Salvation" and runs from 26 February to 7 May 2000. A BBC television series of the same name will be broadcast on the four Sundays before Easter.
Item from: East Window, Diocese of Chelmsford