''Christ Crucified'' is a 1632 painting by

Diego Velázquez Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez (baptised 6 June 15996 August 1660) was a Spanish painter, the leading artist in the Noble court, court of King Philip IV of Spain, Philip IV of Spain and Portugal, and of the Spanish Golden Age. He i ...

depicting the

Crucifixion of Jesus The crucifixion of Jesus was the death of Jesus by being crucifixion, nailed to a cross.The instrument of Jesus' crucifixion, instrument of crucifixion is taken to be an upright wooden beam to which was added a transverse wooden beam, thus f ...

. The work, painted in

oil on canvas Oil painting is a painting method involving the procedure of painting with pigments combined with a drying oil as the binder. It has been the most common technique for artistic painting on canvas, wood panel, or copper for several centuries. ...

, measures 249 × 170 cm and is owned by the

Museo del Prado The Museo del Prado ( ; ), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It houses collections of Art of Europe, European art, dating from the 12th century to the early 20th ce ...

Description

Christ Jesus ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Christianity, central figure of Christianity, the M ...

has both arms drawn a subtle curve instead of forming a triangle. The loincloth is painted rather small, thus showing the nude body as much as possible. The head shows a narrow halo, as if it came from the figure itself; the face is resting on the chest, showing just enough of his features. The long, straight hair covers a great part of the face, perhaps foreshadowing the death, already inflicted as shown by the wound on the right side. It lacks the characteristic dramatic qualities of

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

painting. The influence of

Classicist Classics, also classical studies or Ancient Greek and Roman studies, is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, ''classics'' traditionally refers to the study of Ancient Greek literature, Ancient Greek and Roman literature and ...

painting is shown by the calm posture of the body, the idealized face,and the leaning head. On the other hand, the influence of

Caravaggism The Caravaggisti (or the "Caravagesques"; singular: "Caravaggista") were stylistic followers of the late 16th-century Italian Baroque painter Caravaggio. His influence on the new Baroque style that eventually emerged from Mannerism was profound. ...

can be seen in the strong

chiaroscuro In art, chiaroscuro ( , ; ) is the use of strong contrasts between light and dark, usually bold contrasts affecting a whole composition. It is also a technical term used by artists and art historians for the use of contrasts of light to ach ...

between the background and the body, and in the strong, artificial lightning over the

cross A cross is a religious symbol consisting of two Intersection (set theory), intersecting Line (geometry), lines, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of t ...

. Velazquez's use of light and shadow creates the idea that the subject is rising from the darkness, almost as if Christ's body is emanating light. The anatomically proportioned body, supported by two separated open feet, creates an impression of Christ more reposed than dead. Francisco_Pacheco_-_Christ_on_the_Cross

Iconography

Velázquez followed the accepted iconography in the 17th century. His master,

Francisco Pacheco Francisco Pérez del Río (bap. 3 November 1564 – 27 November 1644), known by his pseudonym Francisco Pacheco, was a Spanish painter, best known as the teacher of Alonso Cano and Diego Velázquez, as well as the latter's father-in-law. His ...

, a supporter of classicist painting, painted the crucified Christ using the same iconography later adopted by Velázquez: four nails, feet together and supported against a little wooden brace, in a classic

contrapposto ( 'counterpoise'), in the visual arts, is a human figure standing with most of its weight on one foot, so that its shoulders and arms twist off-axis from the hips and legs in the axial plane. First appearing in Ancient Greece in the early 5th ...

posture. This became a model and great influence for various artists: Velazquez, Zurbarán, and

Alonso Cano Alonso Cano Almansa or Alonzo Cano (19 March 16013 September 1667) was a Spanish painter, architect, and sculptor born in Granada. Unlike other traditional crucifixion interpretations outside of the Spanish tradition, Velazquez's work represents two parallel feet both punctured by nails. Jesus's feet are traditionally pierced with one nail with one foot over the other. Pacheco's claim of Christ having four nails instead of

three 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious and cultural significance in many societies ...

and his independent studies of the events of the crucifixion created great controversy . Pacheco and his colleagues, many of whom were Jesuits, developed analysis involving resources from contemporary writers, church fathers, and medieval mystics from the Italian and Spanish orthodoxies, supporting the idea that Jesus was crucified with a nail in each foot. Many argued Pacheco's work and influence may have created a distance from biblical evidence and his personal ideas.

History

Although the precise date is still unknown, historians believe the work was made after Velázquez's return from

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, in the period of 1632 through 1638. Due to numerous replications particularly on funeral cards and devotional stamps, it is difficult to find information of the work's location. There is evidence of the painting being located in the oratory of the Benedictine convent of San Placido in Madrid. It is likelihood the work was donated by the convent founder, Jerönimo de Villanueva, the prothonotary of Aragon and one of the King Phillip IV's secretaries. Velazquez did not have full experience with religious paintings compared to his traditional works. Due to his employment under King Phillip IV, the painter was encouraged to paint more historical, religious, and mythological works due to traditional understanding of prestigious paintings. Under King Phillip IV, Velazquez's work depicted portraits of the king, his secretaries, his family, his ministers, his servants, jesters, and dwarves. King Phillip IV described Velazquez's working pace or "phlegmatic nature", which referred to him being slow; however, he believed Velazquez's work was legendary and introduced the artist to his royal court and inner circle. Velazquez being introduced to this environment encouraged new opportunities and resources. Due to the influence of King Phillip IV, Velazquez became proficient in religious and mythological works. Velázquez made various nude studies he used in later paintings, such as ''

Apollo at the Forge of Vulcan ''Apollo in the Forge of Vulcan'' (), sometimes referred to as ''Vulcan's Forge'', is an oil painting by Diego de Velázquez completed after his first visit to Italy in 1629. Critics agree that the work should be dated to 1630, the same year as h ...

'' (1630) and '' Joseph's Tunic'' (1630). Art critics assert that the nude study for this painting is exceptional and masterly in its fusion of serenity, dignity, and nobility. It is a life-size frontal nude without the support of a narrative scene.

Historical context

Counter-Reformation The Counter-Reformation (), also sometimes called the Catholic Revival, was the period of Catholic resurgence that was initiated in response to, and as an alternative to or from similar insights as, the Protestant Reformations at the time. It w ...

, also referred to as the Catholic Reformation, took place during the period of Catholic resurgence that started because of Protestant Reformation. The Catholic Church of the Counter-Reformation heavily relied on sacred art to exemplify the glory in faith yet the terror for non-believers. The motive of the Reformation was intended to reintroduce old stories and ancient truths to the modern generation through various artists. Velazquez's religious paintings had great influence on others due to his works on the

Passion of Jesus The Passion (from Latin , "to suffer, bear, endure") is the short final period before the death of Jesus, described in the four canonical gospels. It is commemorated in Christianity every year during Holy Week. The ''Passion'' may include, amo ...

. The passion was the time period before the death of Jesus Christ, which includes numerous events and interactions with Jesus, such as the

Last Supper Image:The Last Supper - Leonardo Da Vinci - High Resolution 32x16.jpg, 400px, alt=''The Last Supper'' by Leonardo da Vinci - Clickable Image, ''The Last Supper (Leonardo), The Last Supper'' (1495-1498). Mural, tempera on gesso, pitch and mastic ...

, Jesus's

arrest An arrest is the act of apprehending and taking a person into custody (legal protection or control), usually because the person has been suspected of or observed committing a crime. After being taken into custody, the person can be question ...

, his crucifixion and death, his

burial Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...

, etc. For the Last Supper, Jesus imposed that bread and wine would symbolize the body and

blood of Christ Blood of Christ, also known as the Most Precious Blood, in Christian theology refers to the physical blood actually shed by Jesus Christ primarily on the Cross, and the salvation which Christianity teaches was accomplished thereby, or the sacram ...

. It is important to recognize that after the

Crucifixion of Christ The crucifixion of Jesus was the death of Jesus by being nailed to a cross.The instrument of crucifixion is taken to be an upright wooden beam to which was added a transverse wooden beam, thus forming a "cruciform" or T-shaped structure. ...

, in remembrance of Jesus, followers would consume bread and wine for a monthly communion, also known as

Transubstantiation Transubstantiation (; Greek language, Greek: μετουσίωσις ''metousiosis'') is, according to the teaching of the Catholic Church, "the change of the whole substance of sacramental bread, bread into the substance of the Body of Christ and ...

. With great influence of Transubstantiation, the body of Christ became overemphasized. In Velazquez's painting of

, Christ's severe body was greatly influential to followers of Christ to glorify God. Believers of Christ felt that the painting would evoke their soul for the desire to praise God.

Legacy

The spirituality and mystery of this painting have inspired much religious writing, notably the poem ''El Cristo de Velázquez'' by the Spanish writer and philosopher

Miguel de Unamuno Miguel de Unamuno y Jugo (; ; 29 September 1864 – 31 December 1936) was a Spanish essayist, novelist, poet, playwright, philosopher, professor of Greek and Classics, and later rector at the University of Salamanca. His major philosophical ...

. In St Louis, Missouri, the Basilica of St Louis, King of France has a replica of Christ Crucified above the altar. It was commissioned by Cardinal Joseph Ritter in 1959 and painted three times the size of the original, by Charles F. Quest.

References

Bibliography

* Historia general del arte, Tomo XIII, colección Summa Artis, ''La pintura española del siglo XVII''. Author, José Camón Aznar. Editorial Espasa Calpe S.A. Madrid 1977 * ''La pintura en el barroco'' José Luis Morales y Marín Espasa Calpe S.A. 1998 * ''Museo del Prado. Pintura española de los siglos XVI y XVII''

Enrique Lafuente Ferrari Enrique Lafuente Ferrari (23 February 1898–25 September 1985) was a Spanish art historian, specialising in Spanish painting, mainly Velázquez, Goya and Zuloaga. Early life and education Born in Madrid, he studied history and pure philosoph ...

Aguilar S.A. 1964 * Cirlot, L. (dir.), ''Museo del Prado II'', Col. «Museos del Mundo», Tomo 7, Espasa, 2007.

External links

''Velázquez ''
exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art (fully available online as PDF), which contains material on ''Christ Crucified'' (see index) {{DEFAULTSORT:Christ Crucified (Velazquez) 1632 paintings Paintings by Diego Velázquez in the Museo del Prado Paintings of the Crucifixion of Jesus Religious paintings by Diego Velázquez