Novelist Danielle Steele is planning a visit to see Nelson Shanks at his Chelwood estate. I am certain it crossed Steele's mind that Shanks' life of painting the royal, the wealthy and the powerful could be the stuff of a riveting romance novel, but she is dropping by under pretenses other then research for a new book. Danielle Steele will join a multitude of art students, serious collectors, Vatican officials, archbishops and cardinals who have traveled to Pennsylvania to view Nelson's latest masterpiece, a portrait of Pope John Paul II.

Shanks was commissioned through patrons of the Vatican Art Museum to paint His Holiness. The portrait is scheduled to be one of the featured pieces of a year-long exhibition entitled "St. Peter's and the Legacy of the Pope" that will travel throughout the United States beginning March 2003. After the tour, the work will be housed in the Vatican Art Museum.

Following months of negotiations, research and worries over Pope John Paul's health, Shanks finally traveled to Rome last April and set up in a little studio just outside the Vatican walls, not far from the Pantheon. He was never given a completely private audience, but was allowed access to several intimate settings with four or five of the Pope's familiars. Altogether, Shanks probably spent five hours in the presence of Pope John Paul II—an almost unheard of luxury, but certainly not enough time to fully realize a portrait. Shanks was able to complete several oil sketches (all of which already have been purchased by art collectors) and then went searching for the appropriate clothing to create a mannequin to replicate the Pope in Shanks' studios. In addition, he referenced over 570 photographs.

After receiving a blessing from Pope John Paul, Shanks found himself "in the front row of some small audiences, and it became apparent that the Pope was not well. He never even rose to the view that I eventually painted because he was always leaning or hunched over, struggling with Parkinson's disease." It took Shanks about two months to complete this masterpiece, the majority of the project undertaken at his Chelwood studio. He was, "nearly overwhelmed. I was very moved the entire time I painted the painting. I have never concentrated so much on anyone, nor, I think, reached a greater depth of understanding of someone. He is a totally believable person. He has an awesome depth of conviction and belief and spirituality. A truly remarkable person."

The background of Shanks' portrait is St. Peter's Bascillica, which unexpectedly offered a challenge almost as great as the portrait's subject: "When I decided to paint the Pope the way I did, I realized that I had sketched the Cathedral from all the wrong angles. I had to change the sketches and the whole direction of things. . . It's not exact, but I made it what I wanted it to be and it worked."

The visiting archbishops and cardinals have only praise for Shanks' work, but the master naturally is anxious for Pope John Paul II to view the portrait. Meanwhile, Shanks is moving ahead with his next series of projects: a portrait of Former President Bill Clinton, Senator Hillary Clinton, Kip Forbes, and, of course, Incaminati. And if you're eager to see the artist at work, consider registering for his next workshop at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts to be held this March 7, 8 and 9. —Jennifer Hebblethwaite
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Jennifer Hebblethwaite is the literary manager for the Horizon Theatre Company in Atlanta, Georgia, and a freelance writer and dramaturg.

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