Trivium - Friday

The abstract composition fills the square canvas with the warm hues of orange, yellows, reds and other earthy tones. In the centre we observe a cross stuck upright in the ground. Its shape is utterly symbolic, suggested with only a few delicate brush-strokes. Its vertical beam is bold, painted in a bright yellow hue and wider than the horizontal one which blurs into the background diverse in its colours, with the left side of the image slightly brighter and dominated by yellows. The right side is darker and overflowing with bloody red and orange. There is a bright red smudge in the shape of an arch bulging at the bottom of the image, marking the line between sky and earth. Underneath the arch, the earth is marked in brown and ochre. The cross is slithered by red and yellow gleams applied with quick, energetic strokes similar to the tongues of fire. In spite of the abstract nature of the painting, we tend to look for the hidden figuration and its meaning. We bow to the artist’s intention and interpret the image as the scene of the Crucifixion, even though it lacks the familiar figures and objects that normally help to identify the setting (we only have the title that implies the reference to Christ’s passion). There are no traces of the traditional iconography in the composition either. However, the above-mentioned tongues of fire suggest some kind of spiritual presence of the Saviour (they appear in places where his wounds are visible when the body is stretched on the cross) and those who stayed with him to the end: Mary and St. John. This creates a scene full of transcendence and spirituality, a place in search of sacrum. [M. Krzyżanowska]