Picture number 7 is “Thomas Doubts”. And I had a conversation with the artist, Jaclyn Stuart, in the National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh, about this picture.
“The title I came up with is “Heart Motives” and I think what I was trying to get at – it started with Chaiya Art Awards – their question was: “Where is there God in the 21st Century?” And to me Jesus is God, and when Jesus asked the question “Who do you say I am?” – that question reveals our heart, our motives towards God and who we think he is. And so the hands represent different attitudes that were present in Jesus’s day but also can transfer to now: “What are our hands saying? What is our heart saying?”
And so you’ve got somebody pointing the finger accusing God, somebody’s hands are angry, somebody wants nothing to do with him, others are seeking, reaching out to find the answers. Some people are reaching out, believing in faith. I actually struggled with the last hand, I wasn’t sure what to do with it. Oh – I had an open hand, so it was also what Jesus’ hands were doing, it was like – almost like open-hearted, they’re willing to explore the possibility.”
re:connect 