Christus aan het kruis 1622 - 1652

Curator: Good morning. We’re looking at “Christus aan het kruis,” or Christ on the Cross, attributed to Susanna Verbruggen, and likely created sometime between 1622 and 1652. It’s a rather striking piece done in pencil. Editor: Yes, a somber tonal work. The cross dominates, vertically bisecting the stormy sky behind the figure. It creates a dramatic stage for a moment that should really affect any observer, whether or not religious. Curator: Absolutely. And there’s such loaded symbolism here. We see, of course, Christ on the cross, an instantly recognizable emblem of sacrifice and redemption in Christianity. Then the skull and bones. They are memento mori – reminders of death's inevitability, urging reflection on earthly life in the face of eternity. This is particularly striking as those items sit underneath the life sacrifice, they point to how Christ triumphs over both. Editor: Formally, notice how Verbruggen employs a light, almost delicate touch with the pencil to depict Christ’s body, contrasting it with the heavier, more pronounced lines defining the cross and the looming sky. Curator: It echoes traditional visual frameworks of the time. Light typically signified the divine, which is perhaps what they're trying to accomplish by creating some sense of backlighting with soft details. Think about it: in cultural memory, it's all the continuity of similar imagery working to deliver messages and meanings through simple observation. Editor: It creates visual depth in interesting ways – also note the miniature city off to the left near the bottom corner, set off against the distant mountains. It is a unique point-of-view that forces the viewer’s eye back up to the main subjects in center focus. Curator: Precisely. And below, where one might find a more active scene filled with mourning, there lies instead a tableau of quiet contemplation; and for all of that heavy detail that has survived through so many visual records it remains powerfully stark. Editor: Indeed. By placing these symbols so deliberately, Susanna Verbruggen has crafted not just an artwork, but an experience – one designed to be intensely contemplative. I certainly am as I reflect more and more. Curator: As am I; thanks for bringing new attention to Verbruggen’s important piece!