The Real Face of Jesus

By Iñaki Gonzalo

After having viewed with sadness some very unfortunate modern recreations of the face of Jesus published on the Internet, we have decided to expand with some additional images those already published in “The Face on the Shroud of Turin”. This page comes to be a second part of the same.

The “Real Face of Jesus” that we present on this page is the very same face found on the Shroud, restored with the minimal necessary adjustments to reduce the bruises and the most swollen areas. We have also made some corrections in the most damaged areas using the opposite side of the face. In “The Face on the Shroud of Turin” we have presented a very conservative rendition of this restored face; this time we venture a little further by adding shadows and new layers for the hair and beard, aiming to achieve a more photorealistic image.

Regarding the hair color, we have opted for brown, as it is the most common color historically used to represent Christ. The brown / reddish / blond tone is also reaffirmed in many private revelations, such as Anne Catherine Emmerick and Faustina Kowalska. The analysis by Stephen E. Jones of Publius Lentulus' letter on his blog is also interesting, in which Jesus is depicted as having hazel-colored hair.

The images presented below are variations (new combinations of layers, etc.) of the same that we have available in “The Face on the Shroud of Turin”, applying now slightly more aggressive adjustments and filters in order to achieve a greater realism and contrast in the images. We keep this page open for the inclusion of new images or the updating of some of the already published ones.

The blood that covers the face in this image comes primarily from the ultraviolet light photograph taken by the STURP in 1978. The blood stains that appear in white are the ones that stand out the most on the Shroud's fabric to the naked eye. We have filtered them out without applying color because they appear very overexposed in the digital process that we applied (due to their intense color) and mostly, because in extending the Shroud's fabric, they have been displaced from their original position on the face (since the Shroud image is essentially an orthogonal projection, while the blood stains come from the impregnation of the fabric by direct contact with the face).

Variation of the original face corresponding to image B4, applying now a focus layer and a filter to remove the diagonal parallel ribs of the fabric. This is the original photograph that Christ left us of himself on the Shroud, focused, without any retouching, without smoothing, without coloring, only with filter and curves adjustments.

Variation of the face corresponding to group B5, applying now a focus layer. This is the original photograph that Christ left us of himself on the Shroud, focused, without any retouching, colored and smoothed.

This image (and the one below) is our reconstruction of the Real Face of Jesus. In “The Face on the Shroud of Turin” we detail how we have arrived at this result. We have also included at the bottom of this page a viewer that allows you to follow the whole process frame by frame. We have made some minor adjustments to the eyebrows because they were still slightly displaced, and we have added shadows and some layers for the hair and beard to achieve a more photorealistic appearance than the C4A starting image. There still persist some bumps and swellings for two reasons: first, the more adjustments we make, the greater the risk we have of introducing personal interpretations into the face. The second reason is that we are not graphic artists, and once we reach a certain point, it becomes more challenging to achieve true improvements. Therefore, we have made the necessary minimal adjustments.

This is the same above image reflected horizontally. We reiterate that there still remains a noticeable asymmetry, indicating that we have surely not reached the “final” reconstruction. Nevertheless, analyzing both images we can assume that we are quite close to the Real Face of Jesus.

The resemblance of this face to the traditional image we have of Jesus, especially that of the Sacred Heart, is truly surprising. At this point, we emphasize that we have attempted to be extremely precise throughout the reconstruction process. The hair color, which might be the most debatable issue, is based on the consistent appearance of Christ with this tone in diverse private revelations and historical representations. The current trend of creating depictions of Christ with strongly stereotyped ethnic features does not adhere to the evidence.

Viewer of the reconstruction process

It allows to sequentially visualize, frame by frame, the process we have followed to reconstruct the natural face of Christ starting from the original photograph of the Shroud. You can navigate between the different images by clicking on the buttons at the bottom of the viewer. You can also click on the images to see them in much higher resolution (except for the original photograph).

You are the most handsome of the sons of men; grace is poured upon your lips; therefore God has blessed you forever.

Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness.

(Psalms 45: 2,7)

LDVM

Published by Iñaki Gonzalo | March 2024

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