by Ken Larson, March 26, 2010
I met Warner Sallman in the mid 1960s as he visited my church, Christ Lutheran, in Chicago. His cousin Henry belonged to the same church and had asked Warner to visit and discuss his creations. He did better than that! He sketched in chalk a replica of his famous Head of Christ as he told us the story of its origins. The whole process took an hour, as I recall, but he never broke his momentum as the canvas was transformed before our eyes. The image was signed by him, along with a couple of his favorite Bible verses, and still hangs in the hall at the church. One of those verses was Heb. 12:2 – “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” [PHOTO: Warner Sallman creates a chalk drawing of Head of Christ at Christ Lutheran Church in Chicago. Photo courtesy of Ken Larson.]
