Jesus the Man: Colin McCahon's Vision of a Saviour

Colin McCahon appreciated that the courageous human life of Jesus could be imagined within visual art that would both challenge and celebrate what our own life's spirit may reveal to us. McCahon was much more than a purely religious artist, he was obsessed with the human spirit's ability to transform how we relate to others and how we can recognise the world that we inhabit.

This exhibit seeks to reveal how Colin McCahon imagined the earthly life of Jesus. In every image the Christ is defined by the nature of his relationship with others. McCahon chose to look at four distinct periods: Jesus Christ's conception, his devoted bond with his mother Mary; the singular day of the his crucifixion and death; leading to the days and nights surrounding the transfiguration. Colin McCahon understood that Jesus' own murder could paralleled be our own sudden murder. McCahon asks very simple and direct questions with these works of art: His suffering. Our suffering. His love. Our love. His hope. Our hope.

Curated by Ron Brownson