KANSAS CITY, Mo., (Reuters)
Jesus is being depicted for the new millennium as a dark-skinned peasant with both feminine and masculine features. The multicultural depiction was selected by a progressive Catholic publication as the winner in an international art contest to update the more traditional depictions Christ for the new millennium.
The National Catholic Reporter, a Kansas City-based weekly newspaper with a circulation of about 50,000, chose the painting from more than 1,600 entries because of its creative portrayal of a multicultural Christ, editor Michael Farrell said on Tuesday. Farrell said the contest sparked worldwide interest with entries from 19 countries on six continents.
The winning entry, titled “Jesus of the People,” is in sharp contrast to the blond, blue-eyed Jesus that currently is popular with the Western church, Farrell said. A contest judge described the painting as “a haunting image of a peasant Jesus-dark, thick-lipped, looking out on us with ineffable dignity, with sadness but with confidence.” The winning artist, Vermont resident Janet McKenzie, used an African-American woman as her model, Farrell said. National Catholic Reporter hopes to take the painting and other entries on a traveling exhibition to promote a more inclusive view of Jesus.
“This picture may well be prophetic. Jesus had said he wanted the church to be universal,” Farrell said. “This is an indigenous Jesus... and may be the Jesus who reflects believers in the next millennium or two.”