Saturday, April 26, 2008

Drawn patrol

UPDATE: I've removed the image described below, as Matt has very generously agreed to redo it at my request. Thanks to everyone who commented.

Original post (sans image) follows:

I recently commissioned my friend Matthew Alderman of Shrine of the Holy Whapping to draw a new image of me to replace the one at left, which has become outdated thanks to my ever-lengthening hair. The result is the drawing above (click on it to see it larger). Matt writes to me that he used green to symbolize hope. At my request, he included a drawing of the Sacred Heart.

I think it is a technically beautiful drawing that is representative of the artist's vibrant talent as an iconographer liturgical artist. My question to you, dear reader, is, does it look like me?

I don't really see myself in it, but then, I didn't see myself so much in the earlier one either at first, and it grew on me. I realize that this is stylistically more in the vein of an icon than a caricature, and icons are not strictly representative. Part of what they do is call to mind the personality and spirituality of the person they depict. I'm not certain whether I can fully judge this, so I'm putting the question to you. Your opinion will help determine whether I replace the older image with the new one. Thanks!