Art from the Baroque Period

Baroque Period 

The Crucifixion by Simon Vouet was painted around 1636 - 1637 as one of three pieces for a private home chapel.  This painting was placed centered over the main alter and depicts the moment of Jesus's death with Mary, the mother of Jesus, having fainted against St. John, two other women helping him and Mary Magdeline to the side looking at Jesus in apparent shock.  Jesus is highlighted in the center of the painting as the sky turns black in the background at the time of his death despite the noon timeframe contributing to the dramatic color of the scene.  The intense contrast of colors as well as the contrast of flowing lines in the bottom portion of the painting pull the eye upward to the only straight and nearly white portion of the scene, Jesus.  The characters of the painting are frozen in the exact moment of Jesus's death as his head falls to the side and his body hangs limply by his hands.  The scene is calling to the viewer the intense emotion of the moment as we see his mother faint and his close follower and friend recoil in horror.  

The painting seems to pull the viewer toward feeling sadness, sorrow, loss and mourning but also notice the lack of blood, dirt or even pain on the faces.  Jesus, apart from the nails in his hands and feet, looks healthy and strong, clean, like he could just be sleeping while carfefully and artfully covered despite his being whipped and forced to carry his cross before being crucified.  

This art style speaks of the response of the Catholic church to the Reformation formed during the Council of Trent and its effect on art of the time.  The church sought to clean their image by placing clear and precise controls on books, art, translations of the Bible and the lives of the church priests and people.  They demanded art be pure, clean, understood by the common person and emotional without anything that can cause arousal (hence why Jesus is covered).  This painting successfully pulls on the emotions of sadness and sorrow and passes by the horror, darkness and gruesomeness that accomodates such a violent death.  


Bibliography:

Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon, https://www.mba-lyon.fr/en/fiche-oeuvre/crucifixion

McKay, Brett and Kay, The Basics of Art: The Baroque Period, Oct. 18, 2021. https://www.artofmanliness.com/character/knowledge-of-men/the-basics-of-art-the-baroque-period/


Comments

  1. Brayden Bartos-JewkesJuly 1, 2024 at 7:15 PM

    Lily,
    This is a solid piece. I couldn't agree more with you when you mentioned how the viewer would feel sadness and grief. I, too, have done an analysis similar to your piece, and I noticed that in mine, Mary and her fellow peers fainted. I didn't see in mine that you also noted the lack of blood and dirt. Which I thought was strange as the bible uses very graphic vocabulary that makes Jesus covered in blood and beat to shards. I'm curious if the artist left it out to have Christ seem more Godly.

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  2. JJ SimsJuly 2, 2024 at 2:49 PM

    This is nice slab of art you chose to review! I see that you noticed as well that there was a lack of destruction to Jesus's body, because I don't know about you but if you've read the Bible, Mark 15:15 for example, and seen The Passion Of The Christ (2004) then you would know that Jesus got TORE UP! But yes anything to please the mighty Council of Troy, whoops I mean Trent. Great Read!

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