Behold the Lamb of God
Who Takes Away the Sin of the World, 54x36
This crucifixion began as an intensely personal attempt to more fully comprehend the propitiatory nature of Christ's sacrifice. Jesus looks at the viewer just before He takes upon Himself the sin of the world and suffers separation from the Father in place of His people. Modern biblical, historical and medical scholarship have provided us with more information concerning some of the historical details surrounding the event than was available to artists of the past. I attempted to utilize some of this information, such as the dimensions of the cross, in my painting.
I rejected some of the mysticism and idealism inherent in much Italian and French art in favor of a more literal representation closer to that of some German artists, such as Mathis Grunewald. The image went through several stages as I developed my drawings in consultation with the Ramsey County Medical Examiner in Saint Paul, an expert on medical aspects of the crucifixion. As a matter of taste, I chose to suggest, rather than to portray literally, the actual physical horror of the event, since the body of Christ was most likely disfigured beyond recognition.
The work's basic intention is confrontational rather than devotional. Instead of looking up to the Father, Christ looks out at the viewer, demanding a response. I tried to avoid the conventional, prettified, Western Jesus in favor of a more truthful, Semitic Savior, who was described by the prophet Isaiah with the words: "He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him." Isaiah 53:2.
I designed the tabernacle frame to celebrate Christ's resurrection from the dead. The entire work; therefore, portrays a more complete idea of the atonement, including the fact that Christ was raised for the justification of believers. Wheat is a symbol Christ used when alluding to His resurrection. The lion's head symbolizes His lordship as the Lion of the tribe of Judah. The Alpha and Omega represent Him as the First and the Last, the Originating Cause of the world and the One who brings to completion at the end of the age.
Maranatha!, (The Return of Jesus Christ), 1987
Rachel Weeping for Her Children
A voice was heard in Ramah,
Lamentation and bitter weeping:
Rachel Weeping for Her Children
Refusing to be comforted for her children,
Because they are no more.
Jeremiah 31:15
This dramatic image is an eloquent expression of the grief that many women say they have experienced after an abortion. The artist chose Rachel because she symbolizes the torment suffered by women who have lost their children. The mourners have gathered in a secluded glen at a defaced old monument for the preborn dead. Like the Vietnam Memorial, it is covered with names, only here they are anonymous: Baby Boy... Baby Girl... Baby Boy... Baby Girl.... The children remain unknown to all but those who mourn. Gold stars mark the names of babies whose lives were taken in the third trimester. The trees in the background symbolize the dignity of life.
To express their anguish, some of the women have brought thistles with them. One woman clutches her breast, in grief at never having nourished her child. The comforter behind Rachel wears a wreath of interwoven anemones and baby's breath. Anemones are an ancient symbol of sorrow and death. A black bird, symbolic of sin, screeches from its perch on the desecrated body of a draped baby atop a clinic-turned-mausoleum. In the lower left is a vase carved with Babylonian figures sacrificing their firstborn to idols. Some of the folds in Rachel's black drapery are twisted into a grotesque monster showing that sin, though temporarily covered, will ultimately reveal itself. (Unfortunately, the drapery monster is invisible in the web reproduction.)
From the background emerges a hooded figure, through whom a skeleton can be faintly seen, expressing the fact that evil deceives by masquerading as good. His ringed fingers hold out a narcissus, mythical symbol of self-love. In the past, the mourners had given in to the temptation of self-love and consented to the elimination of their preborn children. Aware of their folly, they no longer listen to his lies. The figure therefore turns his gaze upon us.
