2021 | 4277 x 3024 pixels 182,88 pixels/inch Photoshop | jpeg

I have revisited Agnus Dei 2013: a digital artwork that was meant to be a C-print (edition of 3). Due to my financial situation at the time I never had it printed. I revisited the subject drastically. The original is very dark, it is even hard to distinguish anything. In this version I painted with various Photoshop brushes, flipped colors, took pieces out and added new elements. It is a totally new work.

Agnus Dei was and still is, a unique work in my oeuvre. It come close to photography, but I consider it to be a painting.

The lamb of God is a title for Jesus that appears in the Gospel of John. Christian doctrine holds that a divine Jesus chose to suffer crucifixion at Calvary as a sign of his full obedience to the will of his divine Father, as an "agent and servant of God" in carrying away the sins of the world. In Christian theology the Lamb of God is viewed as both foundational and integral to the message of Christianity.

Also in Greek mythology, the Golden Fleece is a symbol of authority and kingship (Jason and the Argonauts). In Islam a sheep or lamb is sacrificed during Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice). It honors the willingness of Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his son Ismail (Ishmael) as an act of obedience to God's command. Before Ibrahim could sacrifice his son, however, Allah provided a lamb to sacrifice instead.

It is plain to see how the lamb is an important symbol in history, various tales and religions. In this painting I have harmed the lamb in various artistic ways: ripping out legs, cutting flesh, reducing color, I even crippled the poor animal. I have done so to rebuild a holy creature. An attempt to make a divine lamb: Agnus Dei.