Crucifixion 1943

Horace Pippin made this painting of the Crucifixion with oil paint, and you can see the slow, laboured process of building an image. The overall palette is dark, and the wood of the cross is rendered with thin washes of pigment, while the body of Christ is built up with thicker daubs of paint. I really sympathize with Pippin, imagining his concentration as he made this. What kind of mark to make, how and where? Look at the way the blood drips down the dark background, each drop a deliberate placement. The figure is stylized, almost flattened, with a direct gaze that seems to confront the viewer. Pippin, like many artists, was in an ongoing conversation with the history of painting. How might he have felt looking at earlier depictions of this scene? Painting is a powerful form of expression, but it's never definitive. It embraces ambiguity, allowing for multiple interpretations. It's the artist's version, but we all can bring our own readings to it.