The Risen Christ
About this artwork
The Risen Christ began as a portrait of Epstein's friend, the composer Bernard van Dieren. It was begun in 1917 when van Dieren was ill, and Epstein wanted to make a mask of him looking 'spiritual and worn with suffering.' After making a mask from clay, the piece then developed into the figure of Christ. Work was temporarily put on hold when Epstein was enlisted in 1917 but continued a year later. The artist considered the figure to be an anti-war statement and declared that he would ideally like it to be remodelled and made hundreds of feet high as a 'mighty symbolic warning to all lands.'
Updated before 2020
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artist:
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title:The Risen Christ
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date created:1917 - 1919
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materials:Bronze (unique cast)
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measurements:218.50 x 54.50 x 56.00 cm
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object type:
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credit line:Purchased 1969
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accession number:GMA 1092
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gallery:
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depicted:
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subject:
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artwork photographed by:Antonia Reeve
Sir Jacob Epstein
Sir Jacob Epstein
American-born Epstein studied art in Paris then settled in England in 1905. He was one of the first sculptors to take an interest in (so-called) primitive and ancient sculpture and had an outstanding collection of his own. By 1920 he had become probably the most notorious modern artist working in...
