Using advanced computer technology and new special effects, such as digital morphing, THE FACE shows how dramatically images of Jesus have changed over time.
It also points out that, since no historical descriptions of Jesus exist, artists have been free to interpret him through the prism of their own beliefs, values, and cultures. In THE FACE: JESUS IN ART, we see Roman-influenced depictions of Jesus as divine ruler ... popular Medieval representations of a suffering, dying Christ ... and modern ethnic depictions or descriptions of a blue-eyed Jesus, a recognizably Jewish figure ... or a black one.
THE FACE: JESUS IN ART airs on many PBS stations this week.
Beginning with Roman mosaics from the third century and moving on to masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance and modern paintings from Europe and the Americas, THE FACE looks at 17 centuries of artistic renderings of Jesus from around the world -- including unfamiliar depictions such as a Japanese Christ and a three-headed Trinity from India.
