The Face of Christ
via jonny baker:
In an interview, He Qi answers a question about how Chinese believers receive Christian art work with Chinese characteristics. He answers:
Recently some pastors visited me and wanted me to produce some works of art for their churches. I was happy to do this. But, when they asked me to do some copies of classical works by Leonardo DaVinci, then I refused. I wanted to do some of my own works with Chinese characteristics and showed them some examples. When they saw Jesus with a Chinese face they became nervous and feared their congregations would not accept such an image.
I was shocked to read this, but he later explains that there is still a lot of influence left from the Western missionaries who came. Not to put down the missionaries. They were doing what they thought best. And they did bring the gospel of salvation to China. How can Chinese Christians not accept a Jesus who looks more Chinese and less Western? Jesus surely wasn’t white, so why would these pastors cling to that image of him?
Earlier in the interview, He Qi recalls his time in Europe. Paintings of Jesus Christ looked like the Apollo and Mary looked like Isis or like the local women. Christians will always picture Jesus as one of their own. [edit - okay, maybe not always. it just isn't an uncommon thing to happen.]
Jesus is Jewish, that can’t be denied. But in art, what does it mean that Jesus is depicted as someone in our own culture? What can it possibly mean that Jesus looks like he could have lived down the street from me? I like the way Martin Wroe says it his poem, Swear word: …[Jesus] is not English, or American, or Italian, or Jewish / Unless all of these….
links:
Here are some links to his work: ACAA and Gallery 1 on hequiarts.com
The Christ We Share is a CD that has depictions of Jesus from different cultures around the world. It also includes activity sheets and worship ideas.