Aren’t these lions great! It almost looks like they’re wearing glasses…..and I really wanted them in the composition…..
No. Way too busy. No lion claws reaching out or tails wrapping around. Back to the rug background.
When I printed out these first versions and showed them to my crit group, they said this figure didn’t look like Christ. Don’t know why, but if they can’t immediately identify him as Christ, it's very likely others won’t either. Time to re-cast the part:
Lots of choices, in paint, mosaic, stained glass….
This one came closest to the image in my head, but I wanted him to be holding the globus cruciger, and looking down at it.
I collected many hands. I even got my husband to pose for shots.
I collected many eyes. The ones that worked best came from an unexpected source….
I collected many globus crucigers . FYI: the globus cruciger (the orb and cross) has been a Christian symbol of authority since the Middle Ages. The cross represents Christ's dominion over the orb of the world, literally held in the hand of an earthly ruler. In the iconography of Western art, when Christ himself holds the globe, he is called Salvator Mundi (Latin for "Saviour of the World"). from wikipedia
(Below) We now have a worried-looking Christ, holding a (damaged) orb. Yes, worth all the fussing:
I had originally planned to have the globus cruciger falling out of his hand, but I like the hole (which I worked hard to make not too obvious). Still need to fuss with the cross on top, and his halo, but now it’s time to move on to the rest of the composition. More next week - contact me at dianesavona@aol.com