Sermon on the Mount

A statuesque Christ floats among a glowing ochre backdrop. Surrounded by brightly colored cliffs, foliage rich with fruit, and watchful angels, Black Jesus delivers his sermon. Shards of mirrored glass form gleaming auras around him, and celestial stars shine in this harmonious composition.

For Theodore Hill, faith was a pillar of his creative practice; he also performed original gospel and blues compositions at the church he attended. Incredibly personal, his artistic expressions emphasized his devotion to God and often occupied the walls of his Atlanta home. Here, Hill retells Sermon on the Mount, from the New Testament of the Christian Bible, to depict the African Christian tradition. His conception shares a stylistic similarity with Ethiopian and Coptic biblical depictions, illuminating diasporic continuity.