Hooded Figure (July 2012)

A while back, I was toying around with the image of an old Crusader, and this piece is a variation on that theme, but there's some other stuff going on here too.  Visually, I'm still debating about tweaking the background a bit, but the high contrast of the orange and red was proving difficult to work with, and the current configuration still seems like the best option.  As to the meaning of the piece, let me get preachy for a moment . . .

Scripturally, the main resonance here is with Matthew 22.  While speaking with a group of Pharisees and Herodians, Jesus is presented with a challenge: Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar?  Jesus responds by asking for a denarius (the standard currency of the day) and then posing his own question: "Whose image is this and whose inscription?"  The crowd answers that it is Caesar's face and name on the coin.  The show-and-tell concluded, Jesus responds with the famous line, "Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's, and unto God what is God's."

Genesis 1:26 speaks of human beings as bearers of God's image.  Song of Solomon 8:6 uses the image of a lover's seal set upon the heart.  Also, I know that there are passages about the Word of the Lord being written on the heart, but for the life of me, I can't seem to remember where those are right now.  I digress.  While the coin in Matthew 22 may bear the image and inscription of Caesar, Jesus knows that the image and inscription of God rest on humanity.  The coin belongs to Caesar, so let him have it; humanity, however, belongs to God.  This piece is an exploration of that theme.

Additional Note (7/28/2012):
My friend Kiki recently identified some things about this piece that I hadn't considered.  The white/blue hoodie and red crosses create a similarity to Christ's garb in standard iconography (white or blue robe and red sash).  Kiki described the piece as a modern depiction of Christ, and while that hadn't occurred to me, I like it.  Kiki also reminded me that the hoodie has a strong association with the Trayvon Martin case earlier this year, and the conflation of Christ and Trayvon certainly adds a bit of controversy to this piece.  Again, I hadn't really thought of either of these connections, but that's the beautiful thing about art: it's all in the eye of the beholder.

Also, this piece isn't for sale.  I'm going to be keeping it around.