Print Details:

• Museum-quality posters made on thick, durable, matte paper.
• Paper is archival and acid-free.
• Unframed prints arrive rolled up in a protective tube.

Frame Details:

• Alder, Semi-hardwood frame
• Black in color
• .75” thick
• Acrylite front protector
• Lightweight
• Hanging hardware included
• Made in the USA

From the artist:

I get really emotional when I think about Judas. I think my emotion stems from a painting I saw in Florence, Italy, called “The Kiss of Judas” by Giuseppe Montanari. It’s an ethereal, dreamy image of a tender moment. Time seems suspended, stars twinkle in the sky, and the figures of Jesus and Judas almost float in the bittersweet haze of this passing moment. Judas stands on his tiptoes, though he is larger than Jesus, and kisses his teacher and friend. If you didn’t know who these figures were, you might think this was an idyllic, simple moment, but it is so grievous and complicated. This image makes me cry. I have a guttural turning in my stomach when I think about Judas and his role in this narrative.

I feel like Judas represents those who are afraid to stand up against the powerful. He allows fear to move him. He faces torture and death by aligning himself with Jesus and does what I think a lot of us would do.  A lot of us would chose safety and betrayal instead of the path of suffering for a fight that seems impossible to win. In Matthew’s account of this story, Judas kills himself because he can’t survive knowing what he has done; he can’t live with himself. The echoes of his decision continue to reverberate and he is the vilified scapegoat of our faith.

I think we act like Judas in passing moments every day. That’s why I drew this image. That’s why I love the image by Montanari; it humanizes Judas and forces us to face the relationship Judas had with Jesus, to face our relationship with Jesus. Judas’ relationship is fraught, complicated, and ultimately tragic, but I know there were moments of beauty.

—Lauren Wright Pittman