Visitors at the shrine relate the most with the “realism” and “familiarity” of Tsarkova’s art, Bromwell told RNS, adding that unlike many other Vatican artists’ “perfect and sanitized” papal portraits, she does not shy away from showing the aging fragility of the popes.
John Paul II is shown leaning on his cane, Bromwell said, adding that “he looks elderly and concerned for the future.” The small portrait of Benedict shows him “aging, but with a whisper of a smile,” something unexpected from the pope theologian, she added.
Like most portrait artists, Tsarkova hopes to portray an inner truth about her subjects. This is what she believes makes paintings different from photos. She spends a lot of time studying her subjects, Tsarkova said, from their writings to their habitat.
“I need to enter their life, including their spiritual lives,” she said. Tsarkova described herself as an instrument, channeling something that does not originate from her through her brushes and sometimes directly with her hands on the canvas.
“It’s a kind of magic,” she said.
In a corner near the window of the studio hangs the portrait of Pope Francis. Orange paint gives a fiery glow to the Jesuit pontiff, who is shown holding a lamb. Tsarkova said she was inspired by Francis’ constant appeal for “pastors to have the smell of the sheep,” meaning they should be immersed in the community they serve and present in the current time.
The colors in the portrait are mainly brown, like the cassock worn by Franciscan friars, and a glimmering image of the pope’s namesake, St. Francis of Assisi, known for his love for nature and the poor, can be seen in the upper left corner of the painting.
In a private meeting, Francis blessed Tsarkova and her efforts to promote peace and Christ’s message in her art. “For me, it has become my mission,” she said, as the watchful gaze of the popes fell on her from their frames within the studio.
This article originally appeared here.
