About Dan Humphries
Dan was born in Greenville, SC and grew up in nearby Spartanburg. Dan has dabbled in art his entire life and became fascinated with the work of the Rev. Howard Finster in the 1980s after seeing his paintings on the album covers of the bands REM and Talking Heads. Like Finster, Dan’s Christian faith drives his art projects
Learn More and See Additional Works by This ArtistArt Description
As a companion piece to “The Confusolution of Tongues,” Dan created an icon of the Mother of God (in Greek, Θεοτόκος/Theotokos literally “God-bearer”) holding her Son, the Savior of the world. Since the Tower is ultimately a monument to the Holy Spirit, Dan thought it fitting to include Mary, who, in addition to being Christ’s mother, is the spouse of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1: 31-35, 38; Genesis 2: 24).
The style depicted in this icon is referred to as “Tender Mercy” or “The Virgin of Tenderness” (in Greek, Ἐλεούσα/Eleusa) in the Byzantine (Greek Orthodox) tradition. In this type, the Mother of God holds her Son closely and lovingly, symbolizing the unbreakable relationship between the two.
