The Life of Christ in Art

I was astounded when I walked into the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton University some years ago and saw a display of massive (48" x 15") graphite drawings on Masonite panels (and some in full color).

They were all the work of one man, artist Robert Doares. Their size and detail were impressive, but even more so the accuracy (with, in my opinion, just a few exceptions). I didn't know at the time if Doares had ever been to Israel, but couldn't imagine how he could have produced these works of art otherwise (I later learned he had). They capture the place.

Though it was expensive, I had to buy the book containing the entire collection of fifty illustrations (produced over a period of thirty years), and I'm so glad I did. Immanuel: God With Us is a breathtaking, moving, and accurate portrayal of--well, what the subtitle says--the life of Christ in art.

Each picture, presented on a two-page spread, is accompanied by Scripture and narration regarding the event it portrays. Some of my favorites are the wedding at Cana (with the accurate depiction of the water jars), the visit of Nicodemus (shown at night on a rooftop in an Upper CIty location with the Temple in the background), and Capernaum, showing the bustling seaport with identifiable features that can still be seen today. But all of the illustrations are exceptional, and combined, they will enrich anyone's appreciation and understanding of the text they vividly enliven.