Crucifixion of
Jesus
According
to the Christian gospels,
Jesus, who is believed to be the Son of God and the Messiah, entered Gethsemane
in Jerusalem with his disciples (the “Twelve Apostles”) in 1AD. Shortly after the Last Supper, Judas (one of
the disciples) identified Jesus to the Roman soldiers by means of a kiss and
Jesus was arrested since he was seen as a threat to the authority. Jesus was tried and sentenced to be scourged
and crucified. Mocked by the Roman
soldiers as the “King of the Jews” and crowned with thorns, Jesus carried the
cross for his crucifixion where he was nailed to the cross and crucified to
death. Following his death, Jesus’ body
was taken down from the cross and buried in a tomb. On the third day, he rose from the dead and
returned to life.
Raphael’s
The Mond Crucifixion
Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio
da Urbino)
The Mond Crucifixion
c.1502-3
Oil on poplar
283.3x167.3cm
High Renaissance
National Gallery, London
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The
Mond Crucifixion
was an early work of Raphael’s and was served as an altarpiece in the church of
San Domenico in Città di Castello, near Raphael’s hometown Urbino in
Italy. The painting was commissioned by
a merchant
for a chapel dedicated to Saint Jerome and is named after its last owner Ludwig
Mond who bequeathed it to the National Gallery in London. In the painting, Jesus was being crucified,
with two angels by his sides catching his blood in chalices. On the left side of the painting, Saint Jerome
and Virgin Mary were shown kneeling and standing beside Jesus whilst Mary
Magdalene and John the Evangelist were shown kneeling and standing on the right
side of the painting. The inscription on the cross, I.N.R.I., is a Latin
abbreviation of Iesus Nazarenus Rex
Iudaeorum which translates to Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.
The
painting was greatly influenced by Raphael’s master, Perugino. Like his master’s works, Raphael’s work was
highly finished. This can be seen in the
perfect lines of the cross and the details in the characters’ expressions and
clothing draperies. Depth was created by
the light and dark contrast as seen in the characters’ and landscape’s shadows
and the use of aerial perspective created an illusion that the landscape is far
away from the viewer. However, differing
to his master, Raphael’s painting represented a sense of harmony through a
balanced, symmetric composition and the use of vibrant yet calming colours. The
left and right sides of the cross are almost perfectly symmetrical, with the
vertical space on the sides filled with the sun and the moon, the angels, and
the standing and kneeling characters. Different tones of blue are used in the
painting, signifying divinity. Red, the
colour of blood, is present is every character, representing redemption through
Jesus’ death. Although the subject
matter was death, the peaceful expression and gestures of the characters and
the graceful movements of the angels portrayed a feeling of serenity. Raphael has wisely used these elements to
render the painting a suitable altarpiece specifically used for the Mass.
Raphael’s painting represented the
perfect unity of form and content, which is a distinctive feature of High
Renaissance art. The symmetrical and
balanced compositions representing harmony and stability established the
classical ideal of beauty for centuries.
Crucifixion Scene
by Other Artists
Another painting of the same subject matter is Fra
Angelico’s Crucifixion with the Virgin,
John the Evangelist, and Mary Magdelene.
The same story of Jesus being crucified and Virgin Mary, John the
Evangelist and Mary Magdalene mourning by the cross is depicted truthfully
albeit in its simplicity. The background
scenery is omitted as the focus is on the great act of Jesus’ sacrifice. Strong
emotions are represented by Jesus’ agonising posture and spilling blood and the
characters mournful body language and facial expressions.
Fra
Angelico’s painting style is marked by beauty and grace, delicate line-work and
soft colouring. Balance is again achieved by the largely
symmetrical composition, similar to Raphael’s.
Colour choice was careful so that it does not disturb the sacredness of
the painting. In Fra Angelico’s painting
depth is not apparent, although the artist did attempt to create perspective by
using a darker tone at the further end of the floor. Space is created by outline instead of
chiaroscuro. Except for the shadows in
the drapery there is no clear light and dark contrast. Holiness is represented by the colour of gold
and the solid halos around the heads of the characters, a pictorial depiction
often used by artists from pre-Renaissance time. As the study of perspective was not fully
developed during early Renaissance, Fra Angelico’s painting appears to be more
flat when compared to Raphael’s.
In Dali’s Christ
of Saint John of the Cross, the subject matter is again crucifixion of
Jesus. Yet the feeling it gives is
completely different from Raphael’s and Fra Angelico’s painting. In Dali’s painting, biblical scenes are not
truthfully represented - nails, crown of thorns, blood or wounds and the
inscription of “I.N.R.I.”, which are typical in most crucifixion paintings, are
all absent, there was also no sign of Virgin Mary, John the Evangelist, Mary
Magdelene by the cross. Only Jesus,
whose face is not visible, was hanging on a cross with a darkened background, beneath
the cross there is a seascape with a boat and fishermen.
The painting is painted with a high degree of
details yet it is so surreal because the top part and the bottom part of the painting
were painted in absurdly different viewpoints – the crucifixion scene from
above the cross (inspired by a crucifixion sketch by St. John of the Cross,
shown on the left), where viewer is almost viewing the crucifixion from the
point of view of God, and the seascape at eye level. The composition of the crucifixion scene is
on a triangle (the cross) and a circle (Jesus’ head) is Dali’s representation
of the Trinity and Unity.
The
use of dark and narrow range of colours, the depth created by the linear
perspective of the cross, the strong light and dark contrast (chiaroscuro) on
Jesus’ body and the theatrical posture of Jesus together give a dramatic,
stage-like feeling to the top part of the painting. The huge contrast between the top and bottom
parts of the painting leave viewers wonder what is in the mind of the artist. Dali explained that his inspiration came from
a dream.
The movement of Surrealism was strongly
influenced by psychoanalyst Sigmond Freud’s work on the Interpretation of
dreams. By mixing surprising and incoherent fragments of the real world painted
with detailed accuracy, Dali gives viewers the haunting feeling that there must
be some sense in this apparent madness. Post-modern artists are no longer aspiring to
paint a scene or character truthfully as they are seen; they are also
expressing themselves and their inner worlds at an emotional level through the
painting.
Modern Application
in Hong Kong
Since
the crucifixion of Jesus, the cross has become a key element of Christian symbolism.
It is seen by Christian as a symbol of faith, salvation and atonement.
Crosses can be found in almost every church. Inside
the Hong Kong Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Central, Jesus
on crucifix is placed in the middle of the cathedral, above the altar, for
worshippers to look up to during the Mass.
Cross pendants are worn by Christians and cross
stands are placed in the homes of Christians as a reminder of the greatness of the
Christ's sacrifice and the spiritual salvation that humans gained as a result.
Nowadays, the use of the cross symbol has widely extended
to non-religious application. The
associated meaning of salvation has resulted in the cross symbol being used to
represent hospital, first-aid and other recovery and rescue services. Hong Kong Red Cross, a humanitarian
organisation, also uses a cross as its symbol.
Over
two thousand years after Jesus’ crucifixion, the cross has not only become the
most important symbol of Christianity but also a key commonly-used symbol in
the modern daily life.
References
4.
Gombrich,
E.H., The Story of Art, Phaidon Press
Limited, Pocket Edition 2006
5. Krausse, Anna Carola, The Story of Painting from Renaissance to
the Present, h.f. Ullmann Publishing, 2013
