Here you will find 10 different Jesuses from 10 different locations 10 different times and 10 different artists. Either performing a miracle, preaching to the masses or being crucified on the cross. Christ has been represented many times in many ways. This gallery shows some of these interpretations that have been immortalized on canvas.
Christ Teaching at Capernaum, Maurycy Gottlieb, 1878 - 1879, From the collection of: The National Museum in Warsaw
Here we see Jesus Christ is giving a sermon to the people of Capernaum. Painted in 1878, Maurice Gottlieb chose to paint 'his' Jesus in traditional flesh tones. Though he is slightly darker here than other paintings, that could be caused by the fact that he is in doors. His facial hair is darker as well, as opposed to the more European Jesus represented in other paintings where he has lighter, perhaps even blonde, facial hair.
In this painting, by William Blake in 1804, we see Jesus christ being crucified on the cross surrounded by a shining light. Compared to the 1878 painting, here Jesus' skin looks much darker and has a much less human tint to it. His flesh seems to be reflecting the light shining behind him. Though he may look like he does not fit into any typical race category, the shadowing informs the viewer the Jesus' face is most likely lighter.
Supper at Emmaus, Richard Cosway, 1742–1821, British, undated, From the collection of: Yale Center for British Art
This gorgeous rough sketch of Jesus sharing a meal with his followers was complete by Richard Cosway. At this moment in time we see Christ breaking bread with his disciples. Though there is no color obviously popping out at us the artist uses shadows to tell us what is dark and what is light. Jesus is sporting a lighter beard and hair most likely meaning he is the more typical 'white' Jesus we see more regularly.
Christ in the Realm of the Dead, Joakim Skovgaard, 1891-1894, From the collection of: SMK - Statens Museum for Kunst
In 1891 and 1894 Joacim Skovgaard painted this masterpiece, depicting Jesus in the land of the dead reaching out to these lost souls. Although Jesus' form is slightly more accentuated in this picture and his body is more 'ideal.' It would seem that this artist shares the popular view of a European Jesus. He once more has a light beard and head of hair salon with a flawless tan complexion.
Jesus Christ, Unknown, 18th c., From the collection of: St. Sophia of Kyiv
Simply titled 'Jesus Christ' and surrounded by gold, though we do not know the author we can appreciate this wonderful piece of art. This piece shows a much darker Jesus than we have seen before in this collection. His skin is far more 'middle Eastern' than the others, darker and richer. His features are more narrow and sculpted, while his hair too is a deep brown. Of all the paintings in this collection this is my pick for the one that most accurately represents what Jesus might have looked like.
Jesus Mocked by the Soldiers, Édouard Manet (French, 1832–1883), 1865, From the collection of: The Art Institute of Chicago
Edouard Manet created this painting in 1865, showing Jesus being taunted by soldiers pair to his crucifixion. Where as other paintings show Jesus with blond hair and a light beard, here we see a Christ with pale skin and a ginger toned beard. Compared to the multi toned men around him we can see just how light he really is, even the white blanket across his lap is hardly a contrast to his skin tone.
The Flagellation, Nicolás Enríquez, 1729, From the collection of: Museo Nacional de Arte
In 1729 Nicholas Enriquez created this morbid piece of art, depicting Jesus being flogged and drenched in blood. His back raw and bleeding we are given a high contrast situation where it is difficult to see just how dark Jesus' skin really is. If we look beyond Jesus and bring the crowd in for comparison we can easily see that Jesus' skin is lighter than the other's. Whether this is from loss of blood or a European heritage is hard to say.
The Adoration of the Shepherds, Sebastiano Conca, 1720, From the collection of: The J. Paul Getty Museum
1720 painted by Sabastiano Conca, this artist took an approach on painting baby Jesus bright to give it the main focus of the picture and also making his skin white defines the beliefs of the artist shows that the artist also believe that baby Jesus was born white
The Mealtime Prayer, Fritz von Uhde, 1885, From the collection of: Alte Nationalgalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
Jesus was not always preaching and preforming miracles, from time to time he is depicted eating with his followers, as seen here, painted by Fritz von Uhde in 1885. Uhde deviated from the widely accepted representation of a fare skinned light haired Jesus, he has given Christ darker skin and brunette hair. This perhaps is a more accurate presentation of what Jesus may have looked like.
Sketch for 'The Last Supper,' St. Mary's, Weymouth, Formerly attributed to Antonio Verrio, ca. 1639–1707, Italian, active in Britain, Sir James Thornhill, 1675–1734, British, between 1719 and 1720, From the collection of: Yale Center for British Art
From 1719 to 1720, James Thornhill sketched this piece for the last supper. Though Jesus is a bit smaller and his features slightly muddied, the viewer can see that this Christ is darker than others. He has darker skin and hair, which is made obvious by the much paler man sitting beside him who is quite light in comparison.
Credits: All media
This user gallery has been created by an independent third party and may not represent the views of the institutions whose collections include the featured works or of Google Arts & Culture.
