Crucified Christ or Marsyas 1585 - 1595

This drawing at the Art Institute of Chicago, attributed to a follower of Michelangelo Buonarroti, presents a nude male torso and legs rendered in pen and brown ink. The stark contrast between the detailed musculature and the void where the head and arms should be, creates a visceral encounter with absence. The fragmented form invites us to consider the structural elements of representation itself. The artist uses hatching and cross-hatching to define form, yet the incompleteness of the figure destabilizes any singular reading. Is it Christ or Marsyas? This ambiguity plays with the classical and Christian traditions, blurring the lines between sacred suffering and mythical agony. The drawing's power lies not just in its anatomical precision, but in how it challenges our assumptions about wholeness and identity. Notice how the negative space around the figure is as crucial as the ink that defines it. This void prompts us to question the very nature of representation. The drawing becomes a space where fixed meanings dissolve, inviting endless interpretation and reflection.