Why Must Jesus Be Painted White?

[mormonnewb]

Perhaps, someone can help me understand why we continue with our historically inaccurate depictions of a white Jesus. Certainly, the church officials who commission this art must know that Jesus was from PALESTINE and therefore, must have looked like his Middle Eastern kinsfolk. So why do they allow this discrepancy? They certainly wouldn't allow for a scene in which Jesus was depicted as being Chinese or say, wearing blue jeans or listening to an iPod?

Therefore, I assume that there is a reason for this "artistic license." There must be something about our doctrine/policies/folklore that requires us to pretend that Jesus was from Belgium.

What is it?

[The Nehor]

This song may help:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRdfX7ut8gw

[thesometimesaint]

Perhaps, someone can help me understand why we continue with our historically inaccurate depictions of a white Jesus. Certainly, the church officials who commission this art must know that Jesus was from PALESTINE and therefore, must have looked like his Middle Eastern kinsfolk. So why do they allow this discrepancy? They certainly wouldn't allow for a scene in which Jesus was depicted as being Chinese or say, wearing blue jeans or listening to an iPod?

Therefore, I assume that there is a reason for this "artistic license." There must be something about our doctrine/policies/folklore that requires us to pretend that Jesus was from Belgium.

What is it?

 

He was Caucasian, but not northern European "White". Would it make any difference to me if he was lighter or darker than visualize him? Not a bit. He is still my Lord, Redeemer, and Savior.

[mfbukowski]

Perhaps, someone can help me understand why we continue with our historically inaccurate depictions of a white Jesus. Certainly, the church officials who commission this art must know that Jesus was from PALESTINE and therefore, must have looked like his Middle Eastern kinsfolk. So why do they allow this discrepancy? They certainly wouldn't allow for a scene in which Jesus was depicted as being Chinese or say, wearing blue jeans or listening to an iPod?

Therefore, I assume that there is a reason for this "artistic license." There must be something about our doctrine/policies/folklore that requires us to pretend that Jesus was from Belgium.

What is it?

The same reason Nephites are painted to look more like Vikings than Arabs.

It will change. No one realizes it is racist, but it clearly is. We just have to keep mentioning it, IMO.

Edited January 22, 2014 by mfbukowski

[The Nehor]

The same reason Nephites are painted to look more like Vikings than Arabs.

It will change.

 

I know I would rather picture the Nephites as Viking raiders. Makes you wonder what Hagoth was REALLY up to with all those ships.

[mfbukowski]

I know I would rather picture the Nephites as Viking raiders. Makes you wonder what Hagoth was REALLY up to with all those ships.

Yeah, but the Sinbad thing might be kind of a cool look too.

But it's hard to picture Nice Jewish Boys as sailors for some reason

(Yes I know they were not Jewish........ just messin around!)

[BlueDreams]

Therefore, I assume that there is a reason for this "artistic license." There must be something about our doctrine/policies/folklore that requires us to pretend that Jesus was from Belgium.

What is it?

 

What nehor said....or sang

 

 But seriously, google "Christ painting" or "jesus paintin" and see what you get. Most of them look European, with a smattering of black Jesus' thrown in there and one Asian Madonna as well. None of them really look all that Palestinian IMO.

 

Plus there's access to models that look "Christ-eque" are fairly limited to whte dudes.

 

Plus there's the expectation to who's viewing the end product. Most Christ art is iconic and meant to be recognizable as Christ. You do that either by context or a face generally attributed to Christ by the larger public.

 

It doesn't even really have to do with the race of the painter much. My bro is black/Navajo and majors in fine art. He paints religious art as well and finished a Christ picture not too long ago. He did not look very Palestinian in that painting either.

 

My personal favorite for LDS art that I have an image of has a small orange Christ:

 

 

 

My own philosophy is that I don't like close ups of Jesus but one's that speak more about who He is to me than what he looks like.

 

With luv,

BD

[Coreyb]

I never paint/draw him looking "white". My art isn't commissioned by the Church...   ..yet   someday

[Storm Rider]

I think art is commissioned with little guidance other than the artist being aware of the purpose of the artwork. The artists's interpretation of the subject matter has created problems since there were artists that had achieved notoriety. 

 

As I close my eyes and think of Jesus or our Father in Heaven I don't see a clear image of their face or physical characteristics. I suspect that I find the highest appreciation of artwork that inspires me or influences me to feel the same adoration and love that I sense when I pray or simply close my eyes. 

[PtolemyGlenn]

I agree. We can not really know what Jesus really looked like. There is basic description but that is all.

It would probably be safer not to draw him at all. As it comes across as false idolatry as we really dont know. Its notcas if there are any phitos or pictures around that he posed for.

[Kenngo1969]

I've seen the face of Christ in people of every stripe.  I suspect you have, as well, but it doesn't matter, since I'm surely on your "Ignore" list.  I try to not make the Church of Jesus Christ responsible for what individual artists do.  As for what depictions the Church promulgates, you're probably right: there could be more variety there, but there are too many other things on my "List of Things To Obsess About" for me to worry about it.  (Personally, I'll know we've arrived when the Church chooses a depiction of a balding, bespectacled Jesus who's rounding in the middle and walks with a limp [or with forearm crutches] ... )

[Duncan]

well, I don't know what he looked like but like the rest of us, after we are resurrected, i'm sure he looks different now as per section 110

[Avatar4321]

Read D&C 110 sometime

[sunstoned]

My wife collects nativity scenes.  We have picked up several from trips to Africa where Mary, Joseph and the Christ child are depicted as non-white.  I think people tend to visualize their deities through a cultural lens.  Christianity was principally a European religion for much of its 2000 year history.  Because of this, much of the Christian art depicts characters of European descent.    

[CV75]

What is it?

Maybe they are not so inaccurate. But accurate or not, I understand that many of the earliest available descriptions of the Lord seem to align with what we see in more modern paintings, so an artist may have gone by these. For what it’s worth, “I found this on the Internet”:

http://www.thenazareneway.com/likeness_of_our_saviour.htm

Also, there may be something to His being portrayed as a descendant of His fair and ruddy forefather, King David (1 Samuel 16:12; 17:42), both symbolically and literally, to cover a major prophetic and theological angle. Or even his mother, if the description in 1 Nephi 11:13 is taken literally and not figuratively.

At any rate, I’m more concerned about tolerating His appearance in person!

[K-2]

Mormonnewb, you mention that Jesus was from Palestine, but you are apparently forgetting that his father was not. The 1844 First Vision account from Alexander Neibaur's journal contains this:

"saw a person in the fire, light complexion, blue eyes, a piece of white cloth drawn over his shoulder"

[Tacenda]

What nehor said....or sang

 

 But seriously, google "Christ painting" or "jesus paintin" and see what you get. Most of them look European, with a smattering of black Jesus' thrown in there and one Asian Madonna as well. None of them really look all that Palestinian IMO.

 

Plus there's access to models that look "Christ-eque" are fairly limited to whte dudes.

 

Plus there's the expectation to who's viewing the end product. Most Christ art is iconic and meant to be recognizable as Christ. You do that either by context or a face generally attributed to Christ by the larger public.

 

It doesn't even really have to do with the race of the painter much. My bro is black/Navajo and majors in fine art. He paints religious art as well and finished a Christ picture not too long ago. He did not look very Palestinian in that painting either.

 

My personal favorite for LDS art that I have an image of has a small orange Christ:

 

 

 

My own philosophy is that I don't like close ups of Jesus but one's that speak more about who He is to me than what he looks like.

 

With luv,

BD

That is beautiful, on my phone it looked like sheep surrounding Him.  But now that I'm on my computer I see it is people!  What a wonderful surprise!!  I wish I had this.  Love it!

[Mola Ram Suda Ram]

Guess it depends on who is drawing it and what ideas they were raised with. I can understand why some might make a deal of it. But to me the color of skin is about as important a question as if Adam had a belly button or not. If Jesus is green I will still bow and cry over his feet.

[Freedom]

And what about all the blond Adam and Eve images? The majority of the youth in my ward are south Asian and I am always a bit embarrassed by the artwork provided by the church.

[mfbukowski]

So what color ARE beings from Kolob? 

 

So how do we escape ANY cultural ideas and be perfectly politically correct for all races?

 

Should we even try, or perhaps pictures of Jesus depicted as ALL races are a better solution?

 

Who is going to draw those?  Will we always see Jesus as our own race?

Edited January 22, 2014 by mfbukowski

[thesometimesaint]

So what color ARE beings from Kolob? 

 

Don't know about color, but they are bright.

[strappinglad]

IIRC , Volgadon has spoken of the various ' shades ' found in Israel today. Besides that, according to some here, Adam and Eve were Neandertals , who were quite sturdy folks and probably a muddy white in color with a pronounced brow ridge.

Edited January 22, 2014 by strappinglad

[volgadon]

Perhaps, someone can help me understand why we continue with our historically inaccurate depictions of a white Jesus. Certainly, the church officials who commission this art must know that Jesus was from PALESTINE and therefore, must have looked like his Middle Eastern kinsfolk. So why do they allow this discrepancy? They certainly wouldn't allow for a scene in which Jesus was depicted as being Chinese or say, wearing blue jeans or listening to an iPod?

Therefore, I assume that there is a reason for this "artistic license." There must be something about our doctrine/policies/folklore that requires us to pretend that Jesus was from Belgium.

What is it?

 

If you will go on about inaccurate artwork, do try to avoid inserting anachronisms such as Palestine into the conversation.

[K-2]

Forgot to mention that Hebrews 1:3 states that Jesus is "the express image of His (i.e. the Father's) person." In other words, he looked like his father, who was not from this earth, rather than his mother, who was from Palestine.

[thesometimesaint]

Forgot to mention that Hebrews 1:3 states that Jesus is "the express image of His (i.e. the Father's) person." In other words, he looked like his father, who was not from this earth, rather than his mother, who was from Palestine.

 

That would sure give some fundamentalist types fits. Jesus looking exactly like a women.