Award-winning Christian artist Ron DiCianni has unveiled a major new work, which is likely to feature in gift products available later in the year.

The winner of several Gold Medallions from the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association for his book covers-which include the original designs for Frank Peretti's This Present Darkness and Piercing the Darkness-DiCianni has just completed a 12-foot-by-40 foot oil-on-canvas mural of Christ's resurrection.

Commissioned by The Museum of Biblical Art in Dallas, the piece took two years to complete and portrays Jesus emerging from the tomb before the angels, Roman guards and a crowd of biblical characters.

Previous DiCianni work has appeared on a wide range of prints and accessories, from Bible covers and bookmarks to mugs and models, as well as on scores of books. Among his best-known pieces are Spiritual Warfare, which portrays a father praying at his child's bedside, and Praying for Peace, commissioned by the White House, which pictured George W. Bush interceding, while flanked by Abraham Lincoln and George Washington.

Grant DiCianni, the artist's son and president and CEO of Tapestry Productions, which represents DiCianni's work, said that The Resurrection was expected to result in "a book, a making-of video and at least some gift items that are in various stages of development."

Featuring DiCianni's signature shimmering style, the mural was based on life-sized models created by Hollywood scene-builders. But despite his research for the piece, DiCianni said he was aiming for proclamation rather than precision.

"I'm not trying to make a documentary painting," he said. "I'm trying to help people recognize the truth and the relevance of the resurrection. I want people to see the truth and relevance of Scripture in my work, not necessarily say, 'Oh, that's how long Jesus' hair
was.' "

Click here to learn more about The Resurrection mural.

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