From Caravaggio’s Supper at Emmaneus to Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel to Heirnoymous Bosch’s Last Judgement and Hans Hobelien the Elder’s Christ at Mount of Olives and Ecce Homo by Murillo, Titian’s Christ carrying the cross and Head of Christ Warner Sallman. There are so many masterpieces and here is where you may share them.
A Favorite of Mine for Passion Week/ Holy Week, Murillo’s Ecce Homo (Behold the Man). Ecce Homo is Latin for “Behold the Man”, Pilate’s plea to the Jews, “So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold the man!” (John 19:5), Christ is indeed Divine and Flesh (Colossians 2:9, 1 John 4:1-3). The artist captures his suffering ans humanity while retaining a faint glow around His head to denote His divinity instead of the Nimbus or Halo that is seen in Eastern Orthodox Icons and Medieval European Art. The robe is red of scarlet, which is ehat the Centurions out on Him when they scourged Him (Matthew 27:28). Scarlet can actually be purple and red depending on the light (in the shade it looks purple, in the light deep blood red). Scarlet in Roman times was used for red, purple, and blue. I particularly like that yhis Ecce Homo isn’t too gruesome in its potrayal.
“Jaume Serra, The Descent Into Limbo, panel from the altarpiece of The Convent of Santo Sepulchro, Zaragoza Jaume Serra was a Catalan painter. Serra was influenced heavily by a Sienese style introduced by Ferrer Bassa.“ (Wikipedia) Serra’a Christ in Limbo depicted Jesus descending into Hell on Holy Saturday to preach to the dead and deliver the captives (1 Peter 3:19-20). Iesus has black robe because He is buried and has bot risen crom the dead yet, He has nimbus or halo with the cross and is reaching into the mouth of Cerebus (hound of hell) and rescuing the prisoners. Flanked on Christis’ side above His head is angels and flanked above Cerebus is demonic tormenters. Serra’s Christ in Limbo is used for the cover of Dante’s Purgatorio (Barnes & Noble Edition).
The Ressurection, Hans Holbein the Elder (1460-1524 A.D.). This painting it part of Holbein the Elder’s Grey Passion Series which “comprises twelve panels illustrating the Passion of Christ; Holbein's monochrome palette is almost entirely grey. The paintings were purchased by the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart, the Stuttgart State Art Gallery in Germany.[1] The State Art Gallery acquired the altarpiece in 2003 for 12 million euros. The restoration of the artworks lasted three years and cost 450 thousand euros.” (Grey Passion Series, Wikipedia). In This work all clothing and items are grey, fading away, while only thd pigment if the skin of the people and Christ is retained. Here we see Jesu Christi has risen from the dead (John 20, whole chapter) and is holder crosier with the budded cross on top. He is making the Christogram with his right hand, with the two fingers pointing in to signify His two natures: God and Man (ses Romans 1:1-5). We see red in the wound in Christ’s Side () and in the flag depicting the Life Giving Cross. While the clothing is grey, the backgroynd is alove with blue ans greens. Perhaps the Grey style was meant to make the scene seem frozen or fixed in time, while the vibrant colors declare the Resurrection effects all time. Some unsual elements is that there is neither a nimbus (halo) or glow of light, but rod like rays (3Desque) flank Christus’ head in the sapw of a cross. The soldiers rather than being Roman or Judean, are Flemish and Germanic with arms from the tine period.