Jesus, His Body and Face in Art

During the special showing of the Holy Shroud at Turin in Spring 2010, an art exhibit at the Venaria Reale – the Savoy hunting palace just outside the city – will focus on Western artists’ interest in the body of Christ as subject. With works of painting and sculpture from the late Middle Ages to the Baroque period (and some earlier pieces), the exhibit will parallel the religious event, shedding light on broader cultural attitudes underlying veneration of the Shroud. Thus, while in Turin pilgrims pray before the large cloth which, according to tradition, enveloped Christ’s physical remains retaining their imprint, the exhibit will make it possible to rediscover the central role of the human body in European thought, and to reflect on the bond between human body and divine identity implicit in Catholic veneration of the Shroud and Veronica’s Veil. In addition, the exhibit will invite reflection on the emotional impact of bodily expression of moral commitment in Western culture.