Crucifixion
7:00 AM |
| Andrea Del Castano, Crucifixion, 1450 |
It seems like every painter has his own version of the crucifixion, but honestly I cannot blame them because it’s one of the most important scenes in the Bible. As stated in New Testament (shortly after the Last Supper), Jesus and the twelve apostles were captured by Roman soldiers and taken to court to be testified by the Sanhedrin and Pontius Pilate. Jesus was accused of claiming to be the “King of the Jews” and was dressed up in a purple robe and a crown of thorns. As he bled, he was spat on by other soldiers and furthermore humiliated.
Upon reaching Golgotha (Calvary), the Roman soldiers
stripped Jesus, dividing his possessions among themselves. He was then
crucified at the ninth hour (believed to be around 9 a.m.) and stood upon the
cross for six hours. Jesus was crucified along with two thieves, one of whom
embraced God.
This painting is one of Castagno’s few oil paintings. Castagno’s
crucifixion is exquisite. The emotions of Jesus and the two thieves stress pain
to the viewer who almost mimic their faces, while also staring upon Jesus’s lifeless face.
The aura of the painting is clearly dark and negative as the clouds are a deep
dark shade of grey. The only bright color is the red that streaks below the wounds of
Jesus and the dresses of Virgin Mary and Mary Magdalene.
It seems as if every time I write about another story of the
Bible, I come back to the same point. The people in these stories exhibit a
holy kindness which cannot be seen in today’s world. Jesus forgives the men who
spat upon him and forced him to walk while being impaled by a crown of thorns. He
yearns for his father to forgive all these people who murdered him for speaking
his mind.
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