This is a byzantine style rendering of the figure of Christ inspired by the Christ Deesis mosaic in the great Hagia Sophia church in Istanbul. I have been fortunate enough to visit the church on several occasions- it is truly one of the wonders of the world.

The Hagia Sophia Church was dedicated to Christ as the Logos, the second person of the Holy Trinity. incarnation of the Logos in Christ. Sophia is the phonetic spelling in Latin of the Greek word for wisdom. “Shrine of the Holy Wisdom of God”. It is particularly famous for its massive dome and remained the world’s largest cathedral for nearly a thousand years until the Seville Cathedral was completed in 1520.The original mosaic shows a rather severe looking Christ. I did the image for my book, Asphalt Renaissance to show an early style of devotional image. I softened the features while keeping the formal and stately composition. The work is done on a very rough surface, which recalls pavement art, but also the texture of a mosaic.

The work is part of a series of sacred images that are available as print editions.

It can be seen at the Andrea Smith Gallery in Sedona, Arizona. The address is below:

Andrea Smith Galleries

Tlaquepaque

336 Hwy 179 Sedona AZ 86336

888-644-5444

My page on their website is here: Kurt Wenner