Betrayal of Jesus
7:00 AM |
| Duccio, The Betrayal of Christ, 1308-1311 |
A vibrant disarray of chaos and agitation, Duccio’s The Betrayal of Christ leaves for few moments of relaxation. Above, gold permeates the sky accompanied by slender trees, cryptically sprouting out of slanted layering of rock. Below, a beautiful convulsion of robes sway without heed to their wearers’ discomposure. When focusing on these aspects alone, perhaps the painting’s airless claustrophobia would diminish.
Foul expressions and crude actions within the painting create a horizontal line across the middle. Even Jesus is thrown off his usual Jesus-y serenity, looking especially uncomfortable as Judas trespasses his halo’s radius. Peter slices off the ear of Malchus with a knife in his hand, a scowl across his face. Peter’s halo is not present in this painting, as his holiness is compromised by his actions.
The Betrayal of Christ is one piece of forty-three that compose Duccio’s Maestà, a highly decorated altarpiece. The Maestà was dismantled later, causing panels to scatter throughout the world. The divergence of the Maestà comes as a blessing and a setback. Panels are readily available to view in various museums, but will likely never converge back into its original state.
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