Long before Prince of Peace traveled the world, it was a face an eight-year-old girl could not stop seeing. In this short film from Akiane: A Portrait of the Artist, Akiane Kramarik describes the figures of light that visited her childhood, the sketch that kept fading from the page, and the knock at the door that finally gave the face its form. It is the beginning of a story that has since reached millions. Watch it below, then read it in her own words.
“I had no idea what God was, what Jesus was. Seeing this particular face, I just knew it was warmth, truth, and love, and unity.”
— Akiane Kramarik
Akiane Kramarik began painting at six. By eight she had completed Prince of Peace, the portrait of Jesus that has become one of the most recognized images of Christ in the world. In this excerpt from the documentary Akiane: A Portrait of the Artist, she recounts how the painting came to be: the visions that began in early childhood, her determination to find a model whose features matched what she had seen, and the carpenter who appeared at her door the very next day. The finished portrait carries that story in its composition. One side of the face in light, one side in shadow, and a point of light in the eye on the darker side, placed there so that no one would mistake the shadow for absence. Prince of Peace is on view at Belóved Gallery in Marble Falls, Texas as part of Akiane: The Early Years, where admission is always free.
When I was a child, these figures of light started appearing and guiding me through my days. One of these beings would always be next to me, and always walk with me. I had no idea what God was, what Jesus was. Seeing this particular face, I just knew it was warmth, truth, and love, and unity.
I had this unbelievable desire to paint this face. I tried sketching the face from memory, but it kept fading away. I began looking for a model, and I was really determined to find the specific features. My mom always tried to help me, and I looked everywhere.
The next day, I heard a knock on the door, and it was this giant seven-foot-tall carpenter. He knew that I was looking for a model, but he did not realize that the artist was an eight-year-old girl.
It took me about forty hours. One side of his face is light. That represents the truth. The dark side of his face represents the suffering. But there is the light in his eye on the dark side. That represents that he will always be with us when we need him.
