The original work of art was commissioned by Rev. Paul Sullivan for Sacred Hearth Catholic Church in Phoenix, Arizona, for placement in the church baptistry.
The piece employs a pseudo-iconographic style, to evoke the universal and transcendent. As depicted in the Gospels, this composition features John as the last of the prophets of the Old Dispensation, pictured in an arid desert landscape signaling the new life of grace here in Jesus, but not yet. Alternatively, the more verdant landscape populated by Angels signifies the inauguration of the New Creation in Christ and the gateway to eternal life. The voice of the Father is symbolically portrayed as the Holy Spirit as a dove, alighted on the person of Christ.
The Baptism of the Lord, by Ruth Stricklin, © 2021 New Jerusalem Studios, LLC.
