“The Crucifixion of Christ,” Bartolome Esteban Murillo – overview of the painting
- Posted by Bartolome Esteban Murillo
- Museum: Hermitage
- Year: Around 1675
Overview of the painting :
The Crucifixion of Christ – Bartolome Esteban Murillo. Around 1675. Oil on canvas. 98 x 60.2 cm
Bartolome Esteban Murillo is a famous Spanish artist of the “golden age” originally from Seville. In the early stages of creativity, his talent manifested itself in the everyday genre. The painter loved to reflect realistic scenes from the lives of ordinary people. He especially liked to draw peasant children. A child from poor families was portrayed at the game, eating, but more often at work. The artist carried this love for people through all the work.
More later, the author’s work is dedicated to Christian motives. His biblical characters are not like faces with icons. These are living people, feeling, experiencing.
Themes were repeated. Some works can be considered part of one plot. For example: “Crucifixion”, “Crucifixion of Christ”, “Christ on the Cross”.
The painting “The Crucifixion of Christ” depicts an exalted cross. Christ bleeds on it. On the head is his thorny wreath. At the feet we see sobbing girls. Murillo very accurately conveys emotions. It can be seen with what reverence, tenderness, gratitude and reverence girls belong to the hero of the picture. The pain of Jesus and the sorrow of people are transmitted to the viewer. But their faces are calm, despite the tragedy. They accept the will of God, understand the need for this sacrifice.
On one of the later paintings by Bartolome Esteban Murillo, the luminous figure of Christ appears against the backdrop of an ominous sky. Under it, on the left, the outlines of the city of Jerusalem in a dark fog are visible. According to Christian teachings, the sacrifice of Christ on the cross led to the possibility of atonement of man from the original sin of Adam. The skull at the base of the cross points to Golgotha, which means “female place” where the crucifixion occurred. The inscription in the upper part of the cross reads Hebrew, Greek and Latin “Jesus the Nazarene, king of Judea.”. It was a kind of announcement of guilt. The skull also carries biblical meaning. The blood of Christ, flowing down, washes the skull of Adam, cleansing from sin. The word “Christ” itself means “Savior.”.
“Crucifixion”