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   Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German theologian and pastor known for his vocal resistance to Nazi dictatorship and his advocacy for racial justice. Bonhoeffer’s The Cost of Discipleship (1937) enunciates his belief that Christianity must involve an active (and activist) participation in the secular world. Accused and found guilty in a plot to overthrow Hitler, Bonhoeffer was hanged on April 9, 1945, as the Nazi regime was disintegrating. He remained one of William Parker’s intellectual and moral heroes until Parker’s death in 2009. Parker noted that the Bonhoeffer paintings “reflect themes from his life and writings, drawing upon garden, flower, bird, and other imagery related to Christian and Paradise myth.” Embodying an ideal of suffering and self-sacrifice for humanity, the Christ figure is central to Bonhoeffer’s theology. Similarly, the Christ figure is central to Parker’s Bonhoeffer Series, where individual paintings depict prominent moments in Christ’s life, including the nativity (Krippe), his agony in the Garden of Gethsemane (In the Garden), and the crucifixion (Announcement). As an interesting side note, few people are aware that before turning his full attention to art, Parker studied for the ministry.​

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—Catherine-Nevil Parker

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