This gallery consists of paintings depicting Christ during his crucifixion. The following pieces were created during the Renaissance Period, which took place between the 14th and 17th century. Every artist painted the event in their own style, which is evident in the varying elements of the paintings that I chose.
Christ on the Cross, El Greco (Domenico Theotokopoulos), 1600–1610, From the collection of: The J. Paul Getty Museum
Christ on the Cross depicts Jesus Christ after his crucifixion. He is on a mountain and men on horses can be seen towards the bottom righthand corner. There is a large amount of dark, negative space in the painting which contrasts against the light color of Christ's skin and the sky above him. Christ is disproportionately larger than the other figures in the piece, drawing the eye to him.
Triptych: The Crucifixion, Rogier van der Weyden, 1443/1445, From the collection of: Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien
Triptych: The Crucifixion depicts Christ on the cross surrounded by donors with St. Mary Magdalene and St. Veronica on the wings of the Triptych. Jerusalem can be seen in the background. In the center panel, all of the eyes are looking towards Christ, emphasizing his importance. The use of curved lines gives the painting a sense of realism. The vertical line in the center further emphasizes the importance of the crucifixion.
Adoration of the Trinity (Landauer Altar), Albrecht Dürer, 1511, From the collection of: Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien
Adoration of the Trinity (Landauer Altar) depicts Christ surrounded by angels and members of the Christian community. Above him are a dove; which represents the Holy Spirit, and God. Below him is a landscape. The crowds of people in the painting give the piece a sense of variety, and guides the viewers eyes around the painting.There is also a great deal of texture, from the clouds, to the clothes worn by the people.
Crucifix with Donor, Circle of Jean Bapteur, 1440 - 1445, From the collection of: Palazzo Madama
Crucifix with Donor shows Christ on the cross and a surrounding crowd that includes Mary Magdalene and Saint John. The color scheme of this painting consists of hues of yellow accompanied by red and green. There are changes of value throughout the piece, creating the illusion of shadows. Vertical lines draw the viewers attention to the bodies above the crowd.
The Small Crucifixion, Matthias Grünewald, c. 1511/1520, From the collection of: National Gallery of Art, Washington DC
The Small Crucifixion depicts a crucified Christ joined by St. John, the Virgin Mary, and Mary Magdalene. The jagged lines that make up Jesus's loincloth convey a sense of aggressiveness. The light color of his skin and the robes worn by his companions contrast sharply against the night sky. Value is used to create the illusion of light shining on Christ's body.
Triptych: The Crucifixion Flanked by the Kneeling Donor and His Wife, Joos van Cleve, First half of the 16th century, From the collection of: The National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo
Triptych: The Crucifixion Flanked by the Kneeling Donor and His Wife is made up of three panels, with Christ on the Cross in the center and a donor and his wife on the sides. The piece consists of highly saturated colors, making the colors seem rich and pure. Organic shapes are used to form the human figures, as well as the plants and animals in the background. Geometrics shapes are manipulated to form the buildings behind the cross.
The Cavalry with Donor, Hieronymus van Aken aka Bosch, c. 1490 - c. 1490, From the collection of: Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium
The Cavalry with Donor depicts the crucified Christ accompanied by four donors. The painting makes use of both analogous and complementary colors. The landscape consists of blue, green, and yellow. The use of green hues aids in creating a sense of depth in the painting. The red color of the clothing complements the scenery. The draping of the clothing gives the piece texture.
The Crucifixion of Christ, Hans Baldung, 1512, From the collection of: Gemäldegalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
The Crucifixion of Christ depicts a dying Christ flanked by two other crucified men. Below them are a crowd of mourners and soldiers alike. The piece incorporates the use of contrast to emphasis the human forms in the painting. The background consists of dark colors, such as black and grey. The clothing worn by the onlookers is made up of yellows, greens, and reds. Vertical lines are used to draw the eye up from the crowd to the emaciated figure of Christ.
Christ on the Cross, Gerard David, around 1515, From the collection of: Gemäldegalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
Christ on the Cross shows Jesus on the cross with mourners and his crucifiers below. Horsemen can be seen riding towards a town behind the cross. The painting makes use of green and blue hues in the landscape, and red, black, and brown hues in the clothing and ground. Movement is shown through the use of flowing lines in the horse's legs.
The Crucifixion, Lucas Cranach the Elder, 1501, From the collection of: Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien
The Crucifixion shows a tortured Christ on the cross surrounded by mourners, horsemen, and other crucified individuals. The piece is asymmetrically balanced due to the crosses on either side of Christ, and the people gathered below. The sight lines of the people below, as well as the angled positioning of the crosses beside Jesus, puts the emphasis on him. The colors used in the painting are analogous and complementary; green, blue, and yellow make up the scenery and background, while red is used in the clothing.
Credits: All media
This user gallery has been created by an independent third party and may not represent the views of the institutions whose collections include the featured works or of Google Arts & Culture.
