1/ If you picture Jesus as a Scandinavian man with beautiful hair, it's likely due to this image. Professor @muerko digs deep into our cultural fixation with one artist's depiction of Christ.
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2/ Warhol or Pollock might come to mind as the most popular artwork from the 20th century, but with half a billion reproductions in circulation, “Head of Christ” has the widest reach. And now you can see works from the artist in Dallas.
3/ “Head of Christ” features a relatable Jesus with a kindly affect. The artist, Warner E. Sallman, never became widely recognized. But now his work is part of “The Face of Jesus,” an exhibition at The Museum of Biblical Art across from NorthPark Center.
4/ Sallman’s imagery always defined Christ with white, Scandinavian features -- a decision which seems increasingly controversial today but went largely without comment during Sallman’s heyday.
5/ The foundation that maintains Sallman’s legacy has lost track of where some of his works are today, or how much they might be worth if sold. But “Head of Christ” has so many manifestations and gained widespread acceptance through multiple denominational faiths.
6/ “It was the first visualization of divinity that I saw as a child,” one Dallas woman said. “Head of Christ” became an icon without really having been thought of as an artwork, shaping how millions of Americans see Jesus.
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