Every year during Lent season, the Saint-Sernin basilica is in the habit of inviting a new artist to present a contemporary Way of the Cross. At this occasion, I chose to propose a singular vision of the Passion story, centered around the face of Christ, and particularly around His gaze. All long the progression toward Calvary, He keeps His eyes fixed on us, He already knows and bears each and every one of our faults and pains : we are all present before Him, concerned by what is happening. It is a reality that we easily forget.We certainly have seen dozens of representations of the Way of the Cross : the scene is almost always depicted from afar, placing us in a position of observation rather than participation. The choice of compositions extremely close to Christ’s face tends to erase that distance and induce a one on one with Him who gave His Life for us.

The palet used is exclusively composed of warm colors, at the exception of the ultramarine mantle worn by the Blessed Mother. Those tones render the heaviness of the atmosphere, the weight of a strong sun, whereas the earthly pigments that are used are a reminder that Christ is the new Adam, redeeming the sin of the first one, once made out of clay. The dust of this world is embraced, fertilized by the Precious Blood spilled for it.

Even at the height of suffering, Jesus’ gaze remains soft. His calmness questions us, teaches us patience and inner peace. It is neither a resignation, nor a supposedly invincible stoicism. It is the fruit of Christ’s obedience to His Father : the presence of God that we are compelled to recognize as inhabiting all things, from the greatest of our joys to the deepest of our sorrows.