Based on Jean Hey’s 1494 masterpiece “Ecce Homo,” this diptych is updated for the current day in the United States. A popular subject in Renaissance art, many painters have depicted the moment Jesus is presented to the public, bound, beaten and bleeding, before being led to his execution. The idea of Ecce Homo in art (literally Behold, the Man) shows us the face of martyrdom, and forces us to confront our complicity and guilt in calling for the unjust punishment of someone who is a human being, just like us. In these two pieces – “Behold, the Man,” and “Behold, the Woman,” I present gilded and varnished images of a trans man and a trans woman in the fashion of religious iconography.
Each artwork measures 16″ x 19″.
The original painting by Jean Hey is also shown here for reference.
