Contemporary realism

Body of Christ

Lizz Lopez

Body of Christ is an oil painting by the contemporary artist Lizz Lopez of a pale hand with a lace cuff, rings and a dangling rosary emerging from darkness, part of her Still Life Series.

Artist: Lizz Lopez
Medium: Oil on canvas
Movement: Contemporary realism

Body of Christ is an oil on canvas by the contemporary painter Lizz Lopez, part of what she calls her Still Life Series. It is a close study of the artist's own hand, first photographed and then painted in oil, surrounded by objects drawn from her home. The date and size of the painting have not been confirmed.

What you are looking at

The background is nearly black. Out of it, from the left, comes an arm in a dark sleeve, its fabric glittering with tiny points of light like sequins or beads, and loops of fine chain hang from it. At the wrist a frilled cuff of cream lace or ribbon spreads out in stiff ruffles, catching the light. The hand itself is pale, long-fingered and elegant, the fingers curled loosely downward. Rings sit on several fingers, and a delicate bracelet circles the wrist.

From the fingers hangs a rosary: a string of small dark beads ending in a crucifix that dangles in the shadow at the bottom of the picture. Lopez has said the props included fabric samples, old chain links, a vest held together with a rubber band, a broken rosary and a custom ring. In the painting these humble, improvised materials become rich and courtly.

How it was painted

The handling is smooth and precise, with strong contrast between deep shadow and lit skin, in the tradition of Baroque chiaroscuro. Lopez renders the translucent lace, the tiny reflections in the beads and the knuckles and tendons of the hand with photographic care. The darkness around the hand removes any sense of place, so the gesture becomes almost devotional.

Meaning

The title, Body of Christ, is the phrase spoken when the Eucharist is offered in Catholic worship, and the rosary is a Catholic devotional object. Placing them with a stylized, theatrical hand mixes the sacred with fashion and self-portraiture. The broken rosary hints at fragile or lapsed faith, and the image has a melancholy, gothic glamour that has made it popular in dark academia circles.

Related works

Hands have been a subject in their own right since the Renaissance; compare Leonardo da Vinci's Study of Hands. For more contemporary religious imagery see Lacrimosa by Nicola Samorì. More on the artist at Lizz Lopez.

Questions & answers

Who painted Body of Christ?

Body of Christ is by Lizz Lopez, a contemporary realist painter. It belongs to her Still Life Series, in which she photographs arrangements of her own hands and personal objects and then paints them in oil, transforming everyday items into rich, theatrical images.

What does the painting Body of Christ mean?

The title is the phrase used when offering communion in Catholic worship, and the hand holds a rosary with a crucifix. Combined with the lace cuff, rings and dark, theatrical lighting, the painting blends religious devotion with fashion and self-portraiture, and the broken rosary suggests fragile faith.

What objects appear in Body of Christ?

The artist has said the painting draws on items from her home: fabric samples, old chain links, a vest held together with a rubber band, a damaged rosary and a custom ring. In the finished painting they become a lace cuff, glittering sleeve, jewelry and a dangling crucifix.

Kindred works

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