Christus aan het kruis 1585 - 1646

Curator: Pieter de Jode I, that prolific engraver and printmaker, gives us "Christus aan het kruis," created sometime between 1585 and 1646. It’s currently held at the Rijksmuseum. My immediate impression is of profound sorrow, intensified by the swirling chaos of the background juxtaposed with the stark clarity of the foreground figures. Editor: It strikes me too how Baroque sensibilities grapple with representing such profound spiritual torment, using ink on paper. Tell me more about your reading of this piece, what visual cues tell you that? Curator: Certainly. Look at the body of Christ. De Jode doesn't shy away from representing physical suffering, yet elevates it with elegant contrapposto. The drama, highlighted by the dynamic lines creating dark shading and musculature detail. See also the expressiveness etched on the faces below – all these techniques were ways to engage the viewer in a theatrical sense. Editor: Agreed, this image is full of affect! Speaking of faces, tell me more about the subjects around the cross. Is it only Mother Mary? And why a skull in front? Curator: Well, as an engraving, we can surmise this would likely be reproduced for the religious orders of the period for instructional and reflection purposes. So, you'd likely see Mary, Mary Magdalene and another follower of Christ, maybe John, represented with distinct facial expressions. I think it also plays upon ideas around life and death, hope and despair - the skull might act as a "memento mori", reminding the viewer of our own mortality in relation to Christ's sacrifice. Editor: How fascinating. The formal tensions really drive home the somber atmosphere that's very characteristic of history paintings which have Baroque qualities. I suppose now looking back at our quick observations from the beginning, what would you like people to think about when encountering "Christus aan het kruis"? Curator: I'd hope it provokes viewers to reflect on the capacity for artistic skill to transform tragedy into something powerfully evocative and ultimately, artistically sublime, through effective compositional choices and technical execution. Editor: And perhaps, that art is always embedded in and shaped by cultural currents. Examining this engraving encourages thought of how visual mediums, be they prints or paintings, served complex religious, political and didactic functions during its period.