The Second Coming of Christ is a series of fifteen modern-day interpretations of the historic Catholic Stations of the Cross, also known as the Way of the Cross. For the purpose of this project the steadfast set of fourteen scenes established in 1731 by Pope Clement XII will be the origin. The additional fifteenth, and final scene, will illustrate the role of Mary Magdalene after the execution of Jesus Christ on the cross. The set of fifteen pieces will be executed in oil paint and done on a grand scale with each piece being seven-by-seven feet in size.

The fifteen paintings will be executed concurrently for purpose of cohesion with emphasis placed on illustrating Jesus Christ in the form of a man. A mortal man. An average man.

Intent:
The conceptualization of religious tales can be tricky. The Second Coming of Christ will undoubtedly challenge beliefs that have existed for thousands of years that are accepted as fact. The intention of this project is not to anger or sway, but rather to simply ask “why” and “says who.” Faith is not limited to churches and synagogues while surrounded by a congregation. Faith does not need to be recognized on the Sabbath. Faith is under every rock, behind every smile, and is the voice in your head that is reachable at any hour. The world can argue but, discourse is the means to enlightenment and self-discovery.

Description of Content:
The Bible and following Gnostic gospels are a well of artistic storytelling waiting to be illustrated. Historically, god/s and goddess/es have been in the forefront of worldly interpretation. From the onset of artistic patronage images were non-coincidentally composed of the ideas, images, and beliefs of the patron. In many cases this included the winner of wars, the families of power and the religion of favor.

In this particular case the patron of power is the Catholic Church. Religion, in general, is a subject unlike any other in the modern world. Oddly, lovingly and perhaps naively the story of religion does not change. Concurrently, the average person of today is bombarded with media sensationalism of an unprecedented level. Science, studies, and issues of technology are discredited as quickly as they are conceived. All this considered, why are we so inclined not to ask questions when it comes to our faith? The world as a whole relies heavily on historical transmission that is dictated by a slew of experts, preachers and evangelicals. One would think a topic as profoundly faith based as religion should allow for more vertical transmission. “The meek shall inherit the world,” but until then where do we lie?

Who is Jesus Christ? Many have the basic understanding that Jesus is the Son of God and the Virgin Mary. Mary reared him with the help of Joseph of Nazareth, a carpenter. Jesus never married and followed in Joseph’s carpentry footsteps until he was the age of thirty. At this time his true father, God, made himself known to him. For the next three years Jesus walked the desert spreading the word of God his Father, with the help of his twelve disciples. When word spread to the Jewish high priests and the commanding Roman army that a man was claiming to be the Son of God and the King of the Jews, he was arrested for blasphemy and later sentenced to death under the charge of sedition in the city of Jerusalem. Upon sentencing, Jesus was crucified, died and was buried. On the third day he rose from the dead and ascended into heaven and was seated at the right-hand of his father, God.

Where the Discourse Lies:
The aim of this project is to present a true Christ through the traditional Stations of the Cross. Iconic history depicts Jesus as a longhaired, bearded, pale and skinny man. This is an inaccurate representation. Instead, Jesus would be of able body from years of hard labor in the Middle Eastern sun. His hair would be shorter, if not even shaved to fit in with the general public. Essentially, he would look as a “blue-collar” worker of the time.

The internal struggles of Jesus are of great importance to this project as well. It is often assumed that Jesus accepted his position as the Son of God. Minus a few instances, Jesus was typically calm, well mannered, humble, and stoic. The Second Coming of Christ series will be depicting the possible other side to Jesus’ personality. A man with hopes, fears, ego and demons of his own. Add a close relationship with Mary Magdalene that undermines the historic principles of the masses and we have discourse.

This series will merge the styles of the Who's Your Uncle paintings and Beavertown.