Abraham Mangona

Dr. Sandra Zalman

Art History 1381
2/11/16
The Crucifixion
The painting I selected for my analysis was Attributed to the Master of Georg Muehlich's

Meisterlin Chronicle, The Crucifixion. The painting comes from the early Renaissance period in
the northern region. The painting depicts the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The fine detail of this
piece of artwork has many points that can be addressed. This artwork portrays an array of
readable characters. The first figure that caught my eye was the one on the cross. The second
thing that caught my eye was the figures at the bottom of the central cross. This may be a taboo
statement, but what I thought stood out the most in this artwork was the use of a variety of
colors. The appearance of each individuals form is also a remarkable idea. By the use of all
these different elements, I feel like the artist is trying to bring to life the emotional anguish and
duality of the biblical scene of the crucifixion.
The central focus of this artwork is the crucified Jesus Christ. The depiction of a hanging
Jesus Christ was the first thing that caught my eye when looking at this artwork. The figure is
shown hanging on the cross with his head down representing the tired body of Jesus. The face of
Jesus says a lot about his overall emotional state. The face does not reflect pain but rather more
saddened. The expression on his face may also indicate the moment during the crucifixion. The
face shows that Jesus was not just hung moments ago but reflects a face that has been hanging
there for a long time. A recently hung Jesus would have shown more signs of physical pain.
Jesuss saddened face is that of a man who has gone numb from physical pain and is in fact

content with the whole experience. Biblically speaking, Christ had always known he was
destined for the crucifixion, and this painting succeeds in portraying that depth of events.
While looking at this painting I noticed the artist visually displayed the physical pain on
the Jesus figure while the emotional pain was displayed on the figures at the bottom of the cross.
With the use of chiaroscuro on the drapery of the figures at the bottom, the artist is able to show
the forms of the figure without truly painting them. This shading of the drapery enables the artist
to contort the figures position without ever having to paint the entire limb as shown in the
central figure. The contorted bodies of the figure, especially Mary, emphasize the anguish that is
portrayed in the artwork.
In the painting of the crucifixion the artist has a theme of spatial and historical duality.
The image of the crucified figure of Christ is the center point of the artwork. At the center point
is where the artist makes the division - its almost mathematically precise. In the early
Renaissance, mathematical precision was not a major factor until the Leonardo da Vinci era. The
artist shows an intense opposition and contrast between the two beliefs. At the left side of the
painting we see figures that are horrified and crying about the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Mary
is shown fainting at the sight of seeing her only child crucified. The other women around Mary
are shown mourning and some are yelling to Jesus. The artist also shows the back of one of the
women to set a better perspective for the viewer. This technique is common in a lot of the
southern Renaissance paintings. The anguish and sorrow that is happening on the left side is
contrasted to the right side. The right side of the painting shows the armed forces responsible for
this crucifixion. Historically, The Jews and the Romans were the people responsible for the
crucifixion, but many other texts have said that the Romans were only made to look like they
were the ones who killed him. Whoever the people on the right side are, they seem to contrast the

people on the left. These figures also seem to be nobles because they are wearing more expensive
looking clothing. The Dualism does not just end at the figures at the base of the cross. The
contrast is also shown in the background of the painting. In the background of the right side,
there is an enormous castle while on the opposite background we see a village of small-scaled
homes. This division of foreground and background really emphasizes the duality that the artist
was trying to accomplish.
The cultural influence of this painting is shown with the use of oil as a medium. Another
cultural influence is shown in the fact that the background is fully presented which reflects a
similar style to Duccios Entry of Christ into Jerusalem. The northerners background has had a
tendency to make the background as detailed as the figure in the painting. This detail is only
possible with the use of oil. If this was a southern painting the detail would have been a little
dull because there was no time for detail while using the fresco medium. In the painting of The
Crucifixion, the artist was able to show the viewer their emotional anguish and dualistic nature of
this biblical scene.
Viewing this painting in the museum truly elevated my appreciation of the painting as a
whole. When viewing an image of this piece on a powerpoint slide, one can not fully experience
the true beauty of the work. In the museum I was able to get as close as twelve inches from the
painting to see all the smaller, easier-to-miss details. The olive-green walls of the museum room
made me feel peaceful and really brought the entire experience together. The fact that the
painting was displayed in a museum meant that it gave me as much time as needed to take in the
painting, and in fact did not feel intimidating but rather awe-inspiring and tranquil. All in all it
was a highly rewarding and enjoyable experience.