In an earlier post on Christian-themed illustrations, I noted the following:
I have mixed feelings about modern/contemporary illustrations and paintings featuring Christ and Christian themes. The vast majority I have encountered over the years tend to have a greeting card quality about them.
That is still my overall feeling about modern/contemporary Christian-themed illustrations; however, in that earlier post I held out an exception for some of the work by Yongsung Kim, a South Korean painter/illustrator.
One painting I particularly like is his Hand of God (see link above).
Along the same lines, I also think His Hand is Stretched Out Still works, mostly because it is simply a variation of his Hand of God painting.
I have mixed feelings about modern/contemporary illustrations and paintings featuring Christ and Christian themes. The vast majority I have encountered over the years tend to have a greeting card quality about them.
That is still my overall feeling about modern/contemporary Christian-themed illustrations; however, in that earlier post I held out an exception for some of the work by Yongsung Kim, a South Korean painter/illustrator.
One painting I particularly like is his Hand of God (see link above).
Along the same lines, I also think His Hand is Stretched Out Still works, mostly because it is simply a variation of his Hand of God painting.
Depicting Jesus as happy is a major motif in Kim’s work, and I am inclined to empathize with the motivations behind such depictions, especially when pitted against the often all-too-somber depictions of Christ that dominate Western and Christian art.
On the one hand, Kim’s paintings show Jesus as a loving savior who earnestly wants us to follow him to Heaven.
On the other hand, the happiness factor becomes a bit too much for me at times—not in the intent or motivation but in the execution, which, is too “happy-happy-joy-joy” for my tastes.
That greeting card quality I mentioned earlier becomes too glaring to ignore. Case in point, the illustration below.
On the one hand, Kim’s paintings show Jesus as a loving savior who earnestly wants us to follow him to Heaven.
On the other hand, the happiness factor becomes a bit too much for me at times—not in the intent or motivation but in the execution, which, is too “happy-happy-joy-joy” for my tastes.
That greeting card quality I mentioned earlier becomes too glaring to ignore. Case in point, the illustration below.
Overall, I sense artists like Kim are generally doing good work, and their motivations seem sincere, so I do not want to be overly critical. Nevertheless . . .
Like Kim, I also believe Jesus is happy, joyful, and loving, and I like to think of him in that way; however, there seems to be some disconnect between feeling and envisioning that happiness within ourselves personally and depicting it visually/externally as art.
Although the image (sort of) points in the right direction, it does not, in my humble opinion, succeed in taking the viewer there.
Like Kim, I also believe Jesus is happy, joyful, and loving, and I like to think of him in that way; however, there seems to be some disconnect between feeling and envisioning that happiness within ourselves personally and depicting it visually/externally as art.
Although the image (sort of) points in the right direction, it does not, in my humble opinion, succeed in taking the viewer there.
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