Original artwork description:

Painting: Oil / Tempera / Lead White

The brightened face of Jesus of Nazareth is the result of an intricate painting technique. Numerous painting layers are superimposed. The first step is a fast sketch, followed by egg tempera white and lead white layers recalling methods of Middle Age paintings. Then follows a linseed oil surface on which contours and volumes are arranged with brown and black oil paint. Then the classical highlights with Titanium white oil paint come to create an intensified plasticity and set the light's effect. Over this layer, burnt umber oils and burnt umber glazes as well as red iron oxide glazes followed by orange and yellow. Finally a high quality, gloss varnish surface. Thus this fragile technique, which recalls alchemical experiments, strikingly corresponds to the transcendent, supernatural content of the representation.

The Son of God looks almost ecstatically to the heavens, thus leading an inner dialogue with his divine father. Despite the situation, the face of Jesus here looks almost euphoric, defined by an inner vision which seems a certainty to him. The famous phrase of the bible, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" seems to be visualized in an almost hypnotic way. In that respect this portrait of Jesus of Nazareth is simultaneously worldly and supra mundane, showing transcendence and sensuality at the same time. But we also can see or at least suspect that the almighty Jesus knows that his nearby fate of crucifixion, is to come. So in a way this Ecce Homo embodies an optimistic fear because the Son of God already knows that finally he will resurrect.

Materials used:

Oils, Tempera, Lead White, Linseed Oil Glazes,

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