Thesis Series – Homo Hominis

Homo Hominis (Human Being) explores the body’s relation to the soul through figurative charcoal drawings. Inspired by Pope John Paul II’s series of audiences commonly referred to as the Theology of the Body, I explore the relationship of the body to the soul in our perspective on the human image, the nature of love, and the presence of the will. Understanding the influence of Sigmund Freud, Karl Marx, and Frederick Nietzsche on contemporary culture, this series is a visual study of the contrast between John Paul II’s exegesis and the popular thinkers of western society. Lastly, the collection is completed with a painting composed after the death of my husband in Afghanistan to address the inevitable, yet often avoided topic of mortality. Through my work, I aim to provide the viewer with an opportunity to consider what it means to approach mankind as being made “in the image and likeness of God.”