the personal and the divine - images of christ

8/8/2019 The Personal and the Divine - Images of Christ

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Christ, the son of God, was simultaneously human and divine. These qualities are

difficult to portray together in an artistic rendition, as they seem to contradict one another.

However, one of these qualities can be emphasized more than the other depending on the

connotation desired. Different portrayals are related to the purpose the images serve. By

looking at two examples of the images of Christ during early Christianity, two forms of Christ

emerge: a personal savior and a loving divine being.

The first image, The Good Shepherd, is a mosaic from 425 in Ravenna, Italy. The image

is in the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, an early Christian funerary chapel. The outwardly plain

structure is decorated with marble and mosaics in the interior, evoking in the viewer a sense of

going into an otherworldly realm when entering the building. The Good Shepherdis located

above the entrance; it is above the viewer when they face the doorway from the inside. The

placement of the image divorces the mortal viewer from an image of the otherworldly figure.

The Good Shepherdis essentially a symmetrical scene with Christ in the center. He is

beardless and youthful, with long, light brown hair. He wears purple and gold imperial robes,

and a golden halo surrounds his head. His relaxed, gently curved body is seated on a rock. His

left hand holds a staff ending in a cross and his right hand caresses a sheep. On either side of

Christ are three sheep. The surrounding landscape has stylized plants and rocks with a blue sky

above. The abstracted cliff at the bottom further partitions the viewer from the image of Christ.

This image borrows some Classical elements, including a single light source, shading, the

figures pose, and the setting. However, the artist was more interested in representing the idea of

Christ rather than depicting true details and forms. Here, Christ appears of high status because of

the robes and his staff; contemporary viewers would have related this to an emperors garb. This


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places Christ above the social status of the viewer. His youthful appearance and calm gaze

suggest the eternal and the otherworldly.

This Christ is a caring being, despite his exaltation in this scene, shown by the pose and

by the friendly gesture towards the sheep. Christ is willing to put forth his life for his sheep,

(Stokstad 240) He is willing to sacrifice himself for his followers. For this reason, he is

glorified here as the powerful and divine son of God. Therefore, he is both literally and

spiritually above the viewer. The image, and the entire interior of the building, focuses on a

realm outside of earth and are therefore removed from mortal beings.

The second image, theC

hristicon, is from the 6

th

century at the Monastery of St.

Catherine at Mt. Sinai. As a holy being, a golden halo surrounds this Christs head. His right

hand holds the New Testament, his story of salvation, and his left hand is in a gesture of

blessing. Here, Christ appears older than The Good ShepherdChrist; the long hair, full beard,

and broad forehead make him look older and masculine; these qualities are tied to power and

divinity. Christ also has a crooked moustache and one shoulder is higher than the other.

Theological convention determined his features and symbols.

The image is of Christ Pantokrator, or Christ the all powerful. Despite this name, the

icon allows for a more personal interaction with the viewer. Christ is in half length portrait,

giving the viewer a sense of being close to him. The painting is encaustic, or wax-based, giving

it a translucent quality that evokes the sense of real flesh. This heightens the impression that he

is actually in front of the viewer. Christs eyes stare directly at the viewer. They are large,

suggesting his connection with God. The eyes, personal features and expression interact with the

viewer; the right side of Christs face appears open and welcoming in comparison to the left side,

which is harsher. The left side has stronger shadows, arched eyebrows, and a slight frown, and


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appears judgmental and condemning. The viewer would feel welcomed or damned, depending

on their conscious and how they looked at the image.

Furthermore, the icon was literally placed on a personal level. The image was originally

on the iconostasis, which is roughly at the viewers level. The iconostasis separates the nave and

the sanctuary of the church. This first appears to divide the holy (the clergy) from the

worshippers. However, by paralleling Christ and his link between mortal humans and holy

paradise, the iconostasis containing the image of Christ unites the holy and the worshippers. The

icons on the iconostasis invited people to interact with the structure, prompting a connection

which insured eventual salvation into a holy realm.

These two images are similar in subject matter but vary greatly in purpose. The purpose

of the Christicon was to bring the viewer closer to God through personal interaction, whereas

the Good Shepherdwas to exalt Christs sacrifice. The former focuses on Christs humanity, and

the latter presents Christs divine quality. Christ is difficult to portray because of his seeming

contradiction of being both human and divine. Different images emphasized one of these traits

more than the other according to a primary message that was trying to be communicated,

whether it was Christ as a caring divinity or Christ as a personal savior. (898)


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Figure 1: The Good Shepherd

Figure 2: Christ

the personal and the divine - images of christ

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