He is, without a doubt, the most-rendered artistic subject in history. But considering that nobody knows what Jesus looked like, why do so many portraits of him look the same?

"We have gravitated toward an iconic image of Christ that we recognize instantly," says Herman du Toit, head of research for the Brigham Young University Museum of Art, who believes these portrayals have been adopted by Christians and non-Christians alike to represent what they believe Jesus to be.

"It says a lot about the power of the visual image over the power of the spoken or written word."

Christ's appearance has long been the subject of debate among religious scholars. The oldest surviving Christian art, found on the walls of Roman tombs from the third and fourth centuries, depicts Jesus as a bearded adult and as a bare-cheeked youth. The image on the controversial Shroud of Turin, which some believe covered Jesus in his tomb, shows a man with a beard and long hair parted in the middle.

Because the New Testament doesn't describe Jesus, artists have been free to imagine him in their own way.

Many early murals presented him with thick dark hair, dark eyes and a long nose - a Semitic look that would have been consistent with his homeland in the modern-day Middle East. By the 20th century in Europe and North America, he had morphed into the fair-haired, often blue-eyed "surfer Jesus" we commonly see today.

"People want to see Jesus as somebody they can relate to as part of their culture," says theologian Ben Witherington III, author of What Have They Done With Jesus?

"It's a dilemma. If you believe he's the savior of the world, it's right to represent him in a lot of different ways to appeal to any culture. But if you're painting Jesus in a non-Semitic way . . . you've in a sense robbed him of his historical identity."

Perhaps in reaction to the Western, Aryan-looking Jesus, some contemporary visual or theater artists have portrayed Christ as nonwhite or even female. A new feature film, "Color of the Cross," casts Jesus as a black man.

Such unorthodox depictions, while offensive to some Christians, emphasize the nonliteral existence of Jesus and the universal nature of his teachings.

Christ through the ages: Now comes a new exhibition at the BYU Museum of Art that visualizes the arc of Jesus' life while chronicling the way Christian artists have portrayed him over the centuries.

"Beholding Salvation: Images of Christ" contains 179 paintings, sculptures, icons, illuminated manuscripts and other works by scores of artists, from Rembrandt to contemporary Utah Mormons such as Minerva Teichert and Brian Kershisnik.

At a time when The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is growing rapidly throughout Africa and South America, one might expect to find a few Christs of color in the show. Instead, "Beholding Salvation" offers a largely Eurocentric view. Many of its artists worked in Europe under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Church, while others were hired to help promote Protestant teachings. Some of the contemporary works in the show were created by members of the LDS Church to illuminate modern-day revelations.

"These images transcend doctrinal faith," says Dawn C. Pheysey, the museum's curator of religious works, who assembled the show. "Viewers throughout the centuries have been engaged with these images. Regardless of their faith, they still find something meaningful in them."

The exhibition, which opened Friday, marks the first time the museum has mounted a show devoted to the life of Christ. Most of the artworks come from BYU's own extensive collection, with the rest on loan from other museums and private collectors. Curators have arranged the works chronologically in chapters that document Jesus' birth, life, crucifixion and resurrection, along with his subsequent appearance in a vision before the young Joseph Smith.

From the 15th to the 21st century: Artworks range in age from a 15th-century wooden sculpture of Christ's body, laid on an altar after his crucifixion, to Ron Richmond's conceptual oil painting of two fabric-draped chairs - representing Christ as judge and savior - completed in 2004.

Among the more notable works are François Lemoyne's "Adoration of the Magi" (1716), which depicts a worshipper kneeling before the baby Jesus; Carl Bloch's "Christ Healing the Sick at Bethesda" (1883), which shows Christ offering a blessing to a stricken man; and James Taylor Harwood's "Come Follow Me" (1922), which depicts Jesus recruiting two fishermen to become apostles. In each of these paintings, Christ is cloaked in white and bathed in radiant light to emphasize his divinity.

Anchoring the show are almost a dozen paintings by Teichert (who died in 1976) who gracefully chronicled everything from the three wise men to Christ's miracle of the loaves and fishes to his entrance into Jerusalem to his appearances as recorded in the Book of Mormon. Teichert typically portrayed Jesus with a halo and his eyes cast downward, a peaceful expression on his face.

As with his appearance, artistic interpretations of Jesus' demeanor have changed with time. Over the past millennium, du Toit says, he has evolved from Christ the imperial ruler, sitting in judgment of human souls, to a more benevolent, loving and accessible Jesus.

The Christs presented in "Beholding Salvation" were created during or after the Renaissance, when artists increasingly were remaking Jesus in their own image.

In recent centuries, Christian artists have rendered Jesus as a benevolent symbol of their own faith and to spur religious devotion in others. BYU museum officials hope "Beholding Salvation" will have a similar inspirational impact on those who see it.

"We are a missionary church and a missionary university. So in a way, this exhibition is intended to realize the message of [Christ] in the viewer," says du Toit, who just wrapped the museum's two-day symposium on Christian iconography in faith-based art. "We hope Christians and nonbelievers alike will feel affirmation of his reality, his mission and his continuing life."

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* BRANDON GRIGGS can be contacted at griggs@sltrib.com or 801-257-8689. Send comments about this story to livingeditor@sltrib.com.

Images of Christ

* "Beholding Salvation: Images of Christ" is on display through June 16 at the Brigham Young University Museum of Art on North Campus Drive in Provo. Admission is free. The museum offers free tours of the exhibition that must be scheduled at least a week in advance; call 801-422-1140.

* The museum has compiled a hardcover companion book, Beholding Salvation: The Life of Christ in Words and Art, that features more than 80 full-color illustrations from the exhibition. It's available at the museum or from Deseret Book stores for $22.95.

* Beginning in January, the museum will host a series of 14 lectures on Wednesday evenings about the events of Jesus' life and another series of lectures on Thursday evenings about the history of Christian art. For specific dates and times or for general information, call 801-422-8287 or visit moa.byu.edu.