Theophilia on DeviantArthttps://www.deviantart.com/theophilia/art/Christ-the-Fount-of-Life-676723098Theophilia

Deviation Actions

Theophilia's avatar

Christ the Fount of Life

By
Published:
7.6K Views

Description

Christ the Fount of Life
© Cecilia Lawrence
April 11th 2017
Watercolor and Ink
8x10 inches
About 9 Hours


"O God, you are my God, for You I long;
for You my soul is thirsting.
My body pines for You
like a dry, weary land without water.
So I gaze on You in the sanctuary
to see Your strength and Your glory.

For Your love is better than life,
my lips will speak Your praise.
So I will bless you all my life,
in Your Name I will lift up my hands.
My soul shall be filled as with a banquet,
my mouth shall praise You with joy."

~ Psalm 63:2-6

I was commissioned to make this piece as an ordination holy card for a Catholic deacon who will be ordained to the priesthood this coming June. He liked the Behold the Dwelling of God is with Men image I had made for my brother and he requested something similar. He wanted me to make an image of Christ as Priest standing above a fountain with deer flanking the sides, to be reminiscent of Psalm 42, where it says:

"Like the deer that yearns for running streams,
so my soul is yearning for You, my God.
My soul is thirsting for God, the God of my life;
when can I enter and see the face of God?"

~ Psalm 42:1-2
 
He also specifically requested that Jesus would be pointing to His Sacred Heart and that the Blood and Water flowing from His pierced Heart would be the source of the fountain, in reference to the scriptural passages of the River of Life from Ezekiel 47 and Revelations 22:1. The composition and style is based largely on the International Gothic style, especially as made famous by the beautiful Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry. The theme of the piece is that the infinitely loving Heart of Jesus Christ is the source of Divine Life, Grace, and Mercy for the human race, especially as it comes to men through the ministry of the priesthood and the sacramental life of the Church (which nourishes souls with God's very life and grace). 

EDIT Aug. 6th 2017: I didn't like the face of the original so I edited it by using the face from my icon of the Sacred Heart of Jesus instead.
Image size
2512x3122px 7.34 MB
© 2017 - 2024 Theophilia
Comments64
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
SrAnnaTherese's avatar
I just finished a course at Trinity College, Dublin, IR on the Book of Kells and your works reminds me of the sacred art found in the BoK. What a blessing you are!