When I paint Jesus there are so many different facial expressions I can get. You could paint an infinity, millions, and trillions of pictures of Jesus and every single one will be different. (Peter Howson, When the Apple Ripens, documentary film, 2023)
British Artist Peter Howson has been fascinated by Christ portraiture, ever since he experienced a life-changing religious conversion over two decades ago, creating a portfolio of Christ imagery unparalled in contemporary art. During the season of Lent this year, I will be featuring eight studies of Christ from my Howson listings in a variety of mediums, including pastel, charcoal, and mixed media drawings and monotypes, lithographs, and giclee prints. They range from poignant, polished studies to jagged-edged jottings with an emotive power comparable to the harrowing portraits of Christ in his Passion by North European Masters like Hieronymus Bosch and Matthias Grunewald. The eight Christ portraits by Howson will be presented without commentary, accompanied by texts from the New Testament Life and Passion of Christ and Messianic foreshadowings from the Hebrew Scriptures in the more inclusive translation of the Updated Edition of the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible. (John Kohan)