The Entombment of Christ 

Luca Giordano created this oil on canvas, The Entombment of Christ, sometime in the late 17th century. It represents the moment when Christ's body is taken down from the cross. Giordano was an Italian painter working in a period marked by religious and political turmoil. The Catholic Church, a major patron of the arts, had to negotiate with the rise of Protestantism. Images played a crucial role in reaffirming Catholic doctrine. In paintings such as this, the artist was tasked with making those doctrines both moving and persuasive. Here, the grief of Christ's followers is palpable. The artist uses chiaroscuro to amplify the drama, a technique popularized by Caravaggio earlier in the century. The viewer is invited to contemplate Christ's sacrifice and the promise of redemption. To truly understand this work, we can research the Counter-Reformation, the lives of Giordano's patrons, and the visual language of Baroque painting. Art history is about situating the work of art within its world.