Der Tote Christus 1926

Albin Egger-Lienz made this painting, "Der Tote Christus", with oil on canvas. It’s a somber work, built with lots of dark browns and fleshy tans. I imagine him layering paint, again and again, slowly constructing the scene. The paint looks thick. You can almost feel it. He's really working that surface! I imagine him stepping back, squinting, adding a bit more darkness here, a touch more light there, searching for the essence of this moment. That cloth across the middle is so interesting. It seems to float there, a stark white amidst all the earthy tones. I wonder if he was thinking about the weight of loss, the fragility of the body, and the stark contrast between life and death. His Christ reminds me a bit of Mantegna’s “Lamentation over the Dead Christ.” Artists are always looking at each other, grappling with the same big themes, and inspiring each other across time, right?