B. 1948 - Jim Morphesis made his reputation from his intense paintings of the male torso, derived from the image of the crucifixion, an omnipresent element in his art to this day. The artist was raised Greek Orthodox and often attended church with his grandmother. The influence is evident, as his work has been described as that of a cross between ancient Greek sculpture and Orthodox Byzantine decoration – producing a kind of powerful "California Raphael." Morphesis’ expressionistic figurations deal primarily with the heroic and tragic figures found in Scripture and classical mythology. With a tendency to repeat the same physical stance of his torso subject matter, his work has preserved its strong emotional intensity yet continues to evolve. Through the years, the spiritual theme of Morphesis’ work has remained, although changing stylistically. The work has ranged from precise rendering to a more physical, gestured approach. Morphesis has been seen in more than 30 one-man exhibitions since 1972, and his work can be seen in numerous museum and corporate collections. Some of these include, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; Bloom, Hergott, Cook, Diemer & Klein, and Bank of America.