A while back I posted some pictures from the Church of the Holy Trinity in Glendale Springs, NC. I promised to put up some pictures of the frescos in their sister church in nearby West Jefferson.
This is the fresco of the crucifixion in the Church of St. Mary.
Here is a closer look.
There are two frescos on either side of the main fresco. They are not painted onto the wall, but hang in frames. This one is Mary, great with child.
Above her is an eclipse of the sun. The sun is a symbol for Deity and in some cultures the moon is a symbol for woman. The eclipse, in which the sun is concealed by the moon is a metaphor for Mary's pregnancy in which Deity was hidden within Mary's body.
Here is a close-up of Mary's face.
The artist used his pregnant wife for the figure model and a local girl for the face.
The second smaller fresco is of St. John, the Baptist.
Frescos always develop cracks when they dry. Here a crack formed across John's neck. An eerie reminder of how he was martyred. Unfortunately the crack is concealed within his beard and does not show up here.
Blogger has decided not to let me upload any more pictures right now.
I'll post some more this evening.
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