Cathedral installs painting of The Last Supper with black Jesus
Gabriella Swerling
A PAINTING of The Last Supper that depicts Jesus as a black man is to be installed above the altar of St Albans Cathedral.
The Very Reverend Dr Jeffrey John, the Dean, agreed to install the 12ft artwork following pressure from Black Lives Matter activists.
The Dean conceded that the Church of England was not in a strong position to preach about racial justice.
He said: “Our faith teaches that we are all made equally in the image of
God, and that God is of justice. Black lives matter, so this is why we have turned our Altar of the Persecuted into a space for reflection and prayer with [the artwork] at the heart.”
The 2009 painting, entitled A Last Supper, is a rework of Leonardo da Vinci’s 15th century mural and casts a Jamaican-born model, Tafari Hinds, as Jesus Christ.
The artwork by Lorna May Wadsworth made headlines last year when it was damaged by a shot fired from a pellet gun while it was hanging on the wall of a Cotswolds church.
Ms Wadsworth said: “Painting
Last Supper altarpiece made me really think about how we are accustomed to seeing Jesus portrayed.
“Experts agree he would most likely have had Middle Eastern features, yet for centuries European artists have traditionally painted Christ in their own image.
“I cast Jamaican-born model, Tafari Hinds, as my Jesus to make people question the Western myth that he had fair hair and blue eyes.
“My portrayal of him is just as ‘accurate’ as the received idea is that he looked like a Florentine.
“I also knew that, from a previous portrait of Tafari, there is something in his countenance that people find deeply empathetic and moving, which is the overriding quality I wanted my Christ to embody.”
The move comes a week after the Church of England’s most senior figure, the Archbishop of Canterbury, called for a “rethink” regarding the portrayal of Jesus as white.
Officials at Canterbury Cathedral are also understood to be reviewing its range of depictions of Jesus Christ as well as other monuments which may have connections to controversial historical figures.