Barrabbas, illustration from 'The Life of Our Lord Jesus Christ' 1894

James Tissot painted this illustration of Barrabas for 'The Life of Our Lord Jesus Christ' in watercolour over graphite. The square composition is densely packed with figures, creating a sense of claustrophobia. The muted palette, dominated by earth tones, is punctuated by the bright yellow of Barrabas' hat, immediately drawing our eye. Tissot uses hatching and cross-hatching, creating a rough, almost frenzied texture that conveys the crowd’s agitation. The structural arrangement emphasizes the collective over the individual. This reflects the theme of mob mentality, a concept explored by thinkers like Gustave Le Bon around the same time. Each face is rendered with quick, expressive strokes, capturing a range of emotions from excitement to malice. Faces become masks. Meaning then comes not from the psychological depth of individual figures, but from the collective expression and its historical context within biblical narrative. The contrast between the joyous expression of Barrabas and the implied fate of Jesus complicates any straightforward moral reading. The painting's power lies in its formal ability to evoke a complex interplay of emotions and ideas, challenging viewers to consider the structures of power and judgment at play.