These beautiful images of black skin are from a photographer James C Lewis. He is out of Atlanta and now has an entire Design Studio showcasing predominantly Black Visual Art called Noire3000. Some of his work is pure commercial and glitter with an attitude. Other media campaigns are crusades supporting Black Lives Matter. But for my blog post, I wanted to feature a huge exhibit he released in 2014 called Icons of the Bible.
For centuries, Christianity has literally whitewashed the images we see. In stained glass windows of church. In King James versions of the bible - I remember the wafer thin pages that had the drawings in between chapters of verse. But in reality, almost all of these real life figures would look nothing like they are usually painted. The Old Testament figures would reflect Israel, Jordan and Egypt among others. The New testament would move us into Turkey & Greece. The long haired Jesus Christ from Andrew Loyd Webber's Superstar is a conjured one at best.
James C Lewis used 70 gorgeous models from the Regions of the world. Their dark skin and bold physical traits are dynamic. His attention to detail in costume and jewelry is nothing short of exquisite. And his use of color is so bright it brings them to life in the now and present. Here are just a handful of my personal favorites. But please take a short 10 minutes out of your day to connect to the entire collection of this grand masterwork. Celebrate the beauty in these photos. Check out his political art campaigns on his Noire3000 page. We need some joy and beauty to shine through these dark spring days.
Icons of the Bible - Pinterest
