ICHTHUS / acrylic on canvas, 100 x 100 cm, 2020 / Pedro Vayu Gallinger

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I created this painting in 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic, when we were just starting to wear masks and spend more time inside our homes.

It was commissioned by a woman who wanted a painting for her physiotherapy treatment center. She is very devoted to Jesus and told me she wanted the painting to represent Jesus helping us recover after a fall and come out stronger. She also mentioned that passage in the Bible where Peter loses confidence in himself and sinks after taking the first steps on water.

I started by painting the water. I wanted to create a circular effect that complemented the square format of the canvas. I thought of that fish-eye photographic effect. I used ultramarine blue, cerulean, and phthalo blue, combined with white. I aimed to use minimal material to maintain a certain transparency and luminosity.

It was also important to me not to obsess over the perfection of the water effect. I love that artistic painting allows us to barely simulate something, leaving the viewer to complete and interpret the image. I prefer an abstract blotch that mimics a tree to a hyperrealistic tree. So, for the background, I considered that "less is more."

Additionally, I added some rays of sunlight piercing through the water by removing the paint with a damp cloth. This idea of light appearing by removing material instead of adding it seems to me a beautiful symbolic metaphor for spiritual awakening: emptying ourselves of ego to be filled with divinity.

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To paint the body and face, I meditated a lot, focused, and managed to channel this image that evokes deep emotions in those who see it.

Now I describe what, for me, is the most original idea of this work:

I am passionate about Sacred Geometry, so I had to find a way to incorporate one of these geometries into this piece, which I sensed would be seen worldwide. Quickly, I discovered that I could use the Vesica Piscis as the expansive waves of water supporting the foot and hand.

This geometry consists of two circles of equal radius intersecting at their respective centers. It is a design that has intrigued humanity for thousands of years due to the knowledge contained in its lines and mathematical proportions.

Symbolically, it represents the divine proportion of all creation, fullness, and union. The Vesica Piscis exalts duality as a representation of the balance between the simple and the complex, the dense and the subtle, the material and the spiritual, being the seed of countless creations. In geometry, the Vesica Piscis is the origin of all regular polygons, and in religion, it is the portal where the births of deities are found. From the center of the Vesica Piscis, the mandorla is born. The word comes from Italian and means almond. The shape is ogival and is present in the outline of almost all images of saints in Christianity and in the portals of cathedrals, castles, and temples worldwide. It also symbolizes the feminine principle that generates life. The almond-shaped door through which babies are born.

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Regarding the name:

The ICHTHUS or ichthys (from Greek ἰχθύς ‘fish’), is a symbol consisting of two arcs that intersect in a way that resembles the profile of a fish, similar to a horizontal Vesica Piscis or mandorla, and was used by early Christians as a secret symbol.

The acronym means Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς Θεοῦ Υἱὸς Σωτήρ (Iesous Christos Theou Uios Soter), ‘Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior’.

I completed the work in less than 40 hours and painted it in the outdoor garden of my house, exposing myself for the first time to painting in front of my new neighborhood neighbors.
 

The pandemic lockdown encouraged me to share the process of this painting with my surroundings. With so many urging us to stay indoors, I wanted to add a bit of beauty and variety to the urban landscape of my corner. During that week, I received compliments from those passing by my house. It was a beautiful experience to share myself in this way. I also filmed the creation process of the painting and shared the video on my social media.

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This work has brought me much satisfaction. To me, the client with the original work and her patients, and to hundreds of people who find it online. I receive constant messages of thanks, stories of experiences, and sensations. Many people download the image on their cell phones and set it as their wallpaper.

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It is a great honor for me to paint the master Jesus.

Thank you for your presence and interest.

I embrace you all.

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Pedro Vayu Gallinger, at the service of Art