March 15, 2011

Unusual Depictions of Jesus Week: Jesus as Chinese

Throughout history Christan mythology has been depicted with great variety. Because images of Jesus are so common in the history of art, I thought it would be interesting to explore some of the more unusual works.

Although I am not a student of the history of China, it is my understanding that when Westerners started expanding into China they brought their religious beliefs with them. The Chinese (converts?) then translated these biblical accounts into a visual language that they were familiar with. Although these Asian versions of Jesus seem strange to me, the rosey-cheeked, doe-eyed, light-skinned, "standard" depiction of Jesus in Western art is certainly historically inaccurate as well.

I cannot say how old these images are (some appear older than others) although the second one is apparently from the 1800's.



Chinese Jesus
Chinese Jesus
Chinese Jesus
Chinese Jesus
Chinese Jesus

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