Crucifixion 1988/89

This painting is based on the Christian story of Jesus’s crucifixion (a prevalent theme in Craigie Aitchison’s art) – the artist has said he thinks it’s "one of the most exciting [stories] in the Bible". In this work, Aitchison has pared down narrative detail to evoke dramatic mystery. Although small in scale, the pale glow of the Christ figure is the lynchpin of the composition, unifying the spaces of earth and sky. The diagonal shaft of the foreground tree echoes an anointing beam of light and acts as a reminder that this spiritual subject is rooted in the reality of nature.