Behold, I Make All Things New
Original oil painting by Joseph Bertucci
Acrylic, Oil, 24k Gold Leaf on Canvas
Original painting commissioned for St. Jude Mission Chapel.
Museum-quality fine art prints available for collectors and churches.
Bring this artwork into your home, church, or place of prayer.
About the Painting
The original painting hangs in the sanctuary of St. Jude Mission Chapel in New Iberia, Louisiana.
Behold, I Make All Things New was created for the faithful of St. Jude Mission Chapel in New Iberia, Louisiana. Commissioned by Rev. Donald Bernard, the work emerged through a series of providential moments that helped shape both the painting and its creative process.
Created over 5 months and through more than 500 hours, the painting evolved into a meditation on renewal, hope, and Divine presence in the midst of man’s hopelessness and desperation, a fitting reflection for the Chapel’s namesake, St. Jude.
While at first it may appear to depict the Resurrected Christ and the Holy Spirit, the painting is, indeed, a Trinitarian portrait. The composition rises from deep shadows at its base toward lighter tonal values and radiant hues, mirroring the ascent of the human heart from despair to redemption.
The geometric halo, gilded in 24-karat gold, and the peak values of light at the top of the canvas are an expression of God, not as Father, but as Creator of all things, visible and invisible. From this source, light moves throughout the canvas and across Christ’s form in layers of warm glazes, kissing the skin, reflecting from the fabric, and illuminating the dove’s wings. Together, these elements express the profound unity and mystery of the Triune God.
As a work of sacred art placed in the heart of the sanctuary, the painting was designed not merely to adorn and glorify, but to share in the mystery of the Liturgy. The circular halo and curvature of Christ’s body echo the Blessed Sacrament in the form of the chalice and host as they are elevated during the Consecration, creating a visual unity between art, theology, and liturgy.
Christ’s downward gaze meets the viewer with both humility and authority. His expression carries an intimate invitation and the promise at the heart of the painting: that through Him, all things are made new.
Painting Process
Over 5 months and more than 500 hours, every stage of the painting was approached with patience and intention, from stretching the 8-foot canvas to the final layers of oil and 24-karat gold leaf.
Every brushstroke reflects hundreds of hours of careful craftsmanship, devotion to every detail, and prayerful intention.
The finished work now hangs permanently in St. Jude Mission Chapel.
Museum-quality fine art reproductions are available in multiple sizes, allowing you to bring the beauty and message of Behold, I Make All Things New into your own home, church, office, or place of prayer. Created with the same care and uncompromising standards that guided the original painting, each reproduction is personally approved by the artist to faithfully preserve its color, detail, and presence.