Making of the Sculpture of Christ

SCULPTURE BASED ON THE IMAGE OF THE MAN ON THE
SHROUD OF TURIN (2007-2008)

I was in a unique position to produce a sculpture of the Man on the Shroud of Turin, having worked the last eight years as a sculptor in tropical wood, creating a series of life-size sculptures, but also since 2005 involved in the 3D investigations of the Shroud.

The procedure that was followed to create the sculpture;

1) As a solid basis for the measurements, we used the measurements of the image on the Shroud itself. These were taken from the new folded illustration of the Shroud, as produced after the restauration of 2002, with the measurements of the Shroud taken by GIAN MARIA ZACCONE, Scientific Director of the Museo della Sindone, and BRUNO BARNERIS, Chairman of the Confraternity of the Holy Shroud of Turin and the International Centre for the Turin Shroud. This illustration has a superimposed grid, prepared by GINO MORETTO, which makes it relatively easy to identify every point of the image on the front side of the Shroud. You will find this in: “SINDONE 2002, L’intervento conservative”, written by: MECHTHILD FLURY-LEMBERG. As the scale of this illustration is 1:5 and knowing the new measurements it became the basis for the work drawings, identifying every point necessary for the exact information on the X- and Y-axis. BARBERIS and ZACCONE measured the length of the Shroud as, left side 442,5 cm, and right side 441,5 cm. The width was, bottom 113 cm and top 113,7 cm.

Photo 20

Photo 21

Photo 22

Work drawings based on the measurements made by Bruno Barberis y Juan Maria Zaccone in 2002 during the restauration of the Shroud

2) The 3D investigations done by us during the last 5 years and especially the last two years, that were based on the scientifically proven distance information present in the grayscale information of the image and that led after conversion from 2D to 3D to the production of the Holograms, Anaglyph photographs, Lenticulars and DVD’s, proved to be a very valuable source of information for the relevant points of the anatomy of the body and their position on the Z-axis. For example, the degree of bending of the legs, arms and the head and the position of the feet.

Photo A. Body front in 3D ANAGLYPH (use 3D glasses)

Photo A. Body front in 3D

ANAGLYPH (use 3D glasses)

Photo B. Body back in 3D ANAGLYPH (use 3D glasses)

Photo B. Body back in 3D

ANAGLYPH (use 3D glasses)

3D images Galmarini

3) I have been practicing many years as a medical doctor and was trained as such at the University of Utrecht and Rotterdam in my native country, the Netherlands. This has given me the expertise and experience to recognize the most minute details of the anatomy and pathology of the human body, be it in the form of disease or trauma, like in the case of the Man on the Shroud. I did also study extensively the investigations of the forensic specialists that have worked on the Shroud image, for example the work done by Dr. BUCKLIN, Dr. FREDERICK ZUGIBE and recently by Dr. JOSE de PALACIOS CARVAJAL in Spain. This put me as a medical doctor in a special position to interpret the different findings in the 3D anatomy and especially the signs of the different traumas caused by the beatings, torture, flagellation and crucifixion that the Man on the Shroud endured.
4) In Curacao, Netherlands Antilles, I founded an Ultrasound Clinic and after the appropriate training developed great skills in the reading and interpretation of 3D images. It is a skill that you can only develop with an inborn talent for 3D imaging and very hard work. The skill to interpret very professionally 3D images were of a great help to me when we produced the 3D images of the Man on the Shroud and I was in a unique position as a medical doctor and also a specialist in 3D Ultra Sound Work to do these interpretations, which led to several new findings in the anatomy and also the traumas suffered by the Man on the Shroud.
Some examples of these findings were;
———-The position of the arms in a horizontal plane and with elbows higher than was
stated by the professional artists and scientists.
———-The bending of the legs, with the left leg more bended than the right leg, because
of the position of the feet.
———-The position of the feet, with the left foot crossed over the right foot.
———-The bending and the degree of bending of the head.
———-Very well visible were the swellings in the face and the dislocation of the nose.
——— The presence of a solid oval object under the beard with letters on the surface.

5) On the recommendation of my dear friend and very well known religious artist and Sindonologist, ISABEL PICZEK, I made extensive use of life models when creating the sculpture as accurate as possible, putting them in the position that the 3D images indicated.

6) I want to make it absolutely clear, that I am not a professional sculptor, I am an amateur. Since 2001 I have been making large life-size sculptures in tropical woods under the guidance of my teacher Maestro CRUZ GONCALES in Volcan, Panama where we live. The Maestro is considered one of the best sculptors in Panama. During all these years with hard work I developed every year more skills and experience. See the added 7 photographs.

Photo 8. Maria with child

Photo 9. Detail child

Photo 10. Making Running Woman

Photo 10. Making Running Woman

Photo 12. Piëta

Photo 14. Detail Piëta

Photo 15. Torso with baby

Photo 16. Madonna with child

This sculpture was the result of all the years of study of the 3D qualities of the image of the Man on the Shroud, and an intense desire to produce it. I started working on this sculpture in September of 2007 and it was finished in August of 2008. We exposed it first in our local church and when we organized a large exhibition of the Shroud in Panama, that lasted for a year, we exposed this sculpture also in the exhibition to the great delight of the visitors, who were allowed to touch it.

7) I added a series of photographs to give an idea of the producing of the sculpture and also two movies, made by my compatriot and dear friend Erik Westra, that also gives a real good idea what it means to produce a life-size sculpture like this one, of the Man on the Shroud.