What a fascinating bit of research this was! American artist Warner Sallman was born in Chicago on April 30, 1892. In 1924, he made a charcoal sketch of his image of Jesus, entitled "The Son of Man". It appeared on the cover of his denomination's youth magazine, The Covenant Companion". His sketch was popular, so in 1940 he made an oil painting, now calling it "Head of Christ". He sold the rights to the Church of God (Anderson, Indiana) publishing house. https://covchurch.org/2016/02/08/a-head-of-his-time/
During World War II the painting became even more popular and was displayed in churches, hospitals, and the like. It has continuing appeal among denominations of widely different theological standpoints. Warner also painted versions, like "Christ at Heart's Door", and others. (Here are some for sale by Warner Press, which owns the copyrights: https://www.warnerpress.org/churchsupplies/warner-sallman-art-collection.html)
This next article discusses how hard it is for some of us to be objective about the picture: Jesus is a blue-eyed white man, and that whiteness has unfortunately been influential in people's thinking about what Jesus may have looked like. But so many millions of us have seen the picture since we were little! His caring expression has moved so many millions of hearts. http://sacredartpilgrim.com/collection/view/34 That same article discusses a rival, full-face and darker-complected painting of Jesus by Richard Hook. That picture came out in 1964 and is also displayed in many places. Of course, there are many paintings of Jesus and also of Mary that depicted them as African, Asian, Hispanic, and other ethnicities, diversifying God's presence that Christians believe is found in Jesus.
Another article that I found concludes: "[Sallman] is frequently described as the most reproduced artist in history, a claim supported by the sheer volume of copies and the breadth of their distribution. While other artists may rival him in fame or influence, few can match the scale at which his work entered everyday life. Sallman’s legacy challenges traditional definitions of artistic success. He was not a gallery artist, nor a central figure in avant-garde movements. Instead, he operated in a space between commerce, religion, and mass media. And in that space, he achieved something extraordinary.... Through Head of Christ, he created a visual language that resonated across cultures, generations, and social contexts." https://homeandartmagazine.com/warner-sallman-the-artist-who-put-christ-in-millions-of-homes/
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