VERONICA'S VEIL

VERONICA'S VEIL

15" x 15", acrylic on canvas

"I tried imagining a fat Jesus. I could but in the end I didn't", I told Neil."Why couldn't you? You've been painting a lot of fat people. Why can't you draw Jesus as fat", says he.I explained, "I thought about it with this piece. But the exhibit where this one's meant for requires as a theme The Stations of the Cross."The whole Stations of the Cross was all about Christ's passion and His carrying of the cross to golgotha. I don't think it'd be right to show Jesus as plump. Besides, historically, Jesus was a tall, imposing man - not plump.

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Come to think of it, muslims never depict Mohammed's face. I believe, to them, it's sacrilegous.

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Jun conjectures, "If you can't picture Jesus the way you picture your figures, have you ever thought of the other characters in the story?""Yeah, why not?", I answered.

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I picked Veronica. I think she's just right. A woman who happened to be at a time while the Lord passed. Her seeing Him moved her enough to offer Him her veil to wipe His face. I wonder, what was it she felt when she did this act of wiping the Lord's face - full of blood, sweat and the sins of the world. I wonder.

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28February2006