Artist: M Alice Abrams
Title: Weary Shepherd
Medium: Linoleum Block Print, watercolor, colored pencil
Size: 12 x 16 in.
Artist Statement:
I have a problem with the way religion paints the man who was Jesus. Sure he was the son of God, but Christianity takes that Godhood and sanitizes it. The artwork of my childhood depicted Christ with flawless skin, not a hair out of place. Clothes always clean, pressed, and ironed smooth, bleached white as if he didn’t spend all day walking the dry dusty roads of the Middle East under the beating sun. His face has a blank sternness like the Mona Lisa, a monument with not a thought on its mind, except of course maybe holy thoughts. It’s almost as if the patriarchy turned the Son of God from a human to a statue. A stoic face with a hint of a smile, and enough of a gentle gaze to make him approachable, but it also feels apathetic.
The Jesus I imagine is dusty and a little ragged. He wakes with enthusiasm and energy, but ends his day beat down and dog tired. He's always a little bit hungry and weary. He could probably fall asleep on any horizontal surface, and although he is constantly traveling on foot, his body reflects a man who won’t turn down a hot meal or slice of warm cake, even if he ate a big lunch earlier. In spite of his exhaustion he isn’t without optimism. Jesus was a man after all, and even if he was perfect he lived a human experience.
My Good Shepherd carries an exhausted but grateful sheep on his shoulders. After a long night of rock scrambling, hiking dusty trails, and bushwhacking through itchy grass, he tracked the sheep through the night and is making it back to the herd victorious. The sun is starting to beat hot on his back. He peels off the top of his sweat drenched robe and tucks it into his belt. The wind blows through his damp hair, a welcome freshness that propels him forward during the last stretch of his journey. He is tired, disheveled, and ready for some stew and probably a whole loaf of that crusty bread Mom-Mary gets just right. As he appears over the last hill, his trusty livestock guardian dog welcomes him and his charge and escorts them back to safety within the herd. The long night is over and the lost soul is safe. Home again.
