Last fall I was thinking about the end of the world. Or really I guess just the end of things as we know them (eschatology for the nerds among us). Somehow, call it inspiration, but I got the image in my head of the classic Christian motif of the Agnus Dei, which generally looks like a lamb carrying a flag with a cross on it. But instead of the cross, I thought of it being a white flag. After all, the victory of Jesus didn’t happen because of a fight, but because of a surrender.
I had been also wanting to recreate some of the printmaking techniques I learned in school, so once this more illustrative idea came up, I just combined it. I started with a “mockup”: just a 2” x 4” linoleum block that I could print using a wooden spoon. Minus the backwards P, I loved the overall look of it. It reminded me of some old early Christian catacomb painting or medieval manuscript.
I decided to go bigger. I included more detail along with the words “give” and “take”. These bring up verses like “The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away” (Job 1:21), “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). One would’ve thought I may have learned my lesson from the mockup, but alas, the words came out backwards. Also the transfer wasn’t as even as I would’ve liked. I appreciate the detail in the flag and coat, but otherwise it just doesn’t have the same punch and the small version.
Out of this I am more interested in the subject matter. It is instantly recognizable, but carries different, less used baggage than a cross. It feels more hopeful too.
