New Icon of Saint Pope John Paul II Presenting the Divine Mercy Image

Thank you for viewing. I receive requests for East and West style icons.

Well Known  This is the first icon commission that I've received where the saint,  Pope John Paul II, is immediately recognized through an extensive photographic record. And that poses a particular challenge because any icon would necessarily need to have a resemblance although it need not be in the style of precise photo realism.

As well, the icon depicts all figures in their transformed and transfigured state, in other words, icons show how the saint appears in heaven and not on earth. It's up to the individual iconographer to determine how that will best be accomplished and to what extent- especially for Western icons where there's more lenience in this regard.

Legacy Pope John Paul II lived a long life under the scrutiny of the public eye and he accomplished much.

For this specific icon request, the emphasis is on his promotion of the Divine Mercy message, as authentically communicated through the writings of St Faustina, and that this propagation stands out as a crowning achievement in his ministry. 

The crucifix is in the general style of Saint Faustina Kowlaska's religious order although it is depicted here in gold color and not black and silver.

In 1981, he explained that "Right from the beginning of my ministry in St. Peter’s See in Rome, I consider this message [of Divine Mercy] my special task. Providence has assigned it to me in the present situation of man, the Church and the world. It could be said that precisely this situation assigned that message to me as my task before God."