Overall the painting demonstrates a black background.  Using darkness, Grunewald emphasizes the light on Jesus, Mary, and The Lamb.  Either sin or human pain, the painter illustrates Jesus’s suffering in the face of darkness.  Grunewald also wants society to recognize Mary.  In a biblical reading, Jesus gave Mary as our Mother.  The Queen of Peace delivers guidance and a motherly nurture to our world.  When death and despair reins over society, Grunewald constructs The Lamb of God to undermine a lively presence.  Using the crucifixion, Grunewald wants to remind civilization of God’s love and interaction when facing despair.