The Resurrection

<em>And his countenance was as lightning, and his raiment as snow. And for fear of him the guards were struck with terror, and became as dead men</em>.

The use of light and shade, saturated colors, and bold gestures dramatically capture the drama of the <term>Resurrection</term>, so vividly recorded in the <term>Bible</term>. Famous as the teacher of Rembrandt, Pieter Lastman brought a direct, emotional conviction to religious themes in his native Amsterdam in the early 1600s.

In <em>The Resurrection,</em> Lastman emphasized the expressive power of the miracle taking place, contrasting divine light with the doom of the unredeemed. An angel gently lifts the heavy lid from the tomb as <term>Christ</term> ascends to heaven surrounded by <term>putti</term>. Bright light from Christ's <term>halo</term> illuminates the standing angel and throws into shadow the standing soldier with upraised arms, outlining his bright red costume. A terror-stricken soldier sprawls on the ground with his head thrown back and his arm raised as if to ward off a blow. To the right, a turbaned man shields his eyes while a soldier in a plumed hat sleeps. In the <term>background</term>, rays from the rising sun light the approach of the three Marys.