Resurrection (Grey Passion-12) 1500

Curator: Well, if this isn't dramatic! Holbein the Elder's “Resurrection (Grey Passion-12)” from around 1500 really grabs you, doesn't it? The use of oil paint gives it a luminous quality. Editor: It’s arresting. All that commotion frozen in time, figures recoiling and tumbling… but everything seems to happen *around* Christ. It feels… deliberate, perhaps even political? Curator: Political how? It’s the classic scene, the big reveal. Soldiers sprawled, Christ serene with that halo blazing, almost comically bright. To me it’s all theater. Holbein sets the stage for pure emotion. Editor: Absolutely! But Holbein painted during a tumultuous period. Remember, the Reformation was brewing. To show Christ emerging, literally stepping on symbols of earthly power... those collapsing soldiers in their armour, for example... speaks volumes. It's about divine authority undermining secular rule. Curator: I love that you see it that way! I see their expressions, those ridiculous, terrified faces. It's human and very relatable. Almost a cartoon! Do you see that guy’s goofy helmet? And that’s the appeal, the raw humanity in something so theologically lofty. Holbein’s letting us peek behind the curtain. Editor: But think about who *could* afford to “peek behind the curtain" then, and who had that curtain deliberately drawn! Religious art wasn’t for entertainment—it was a vital visual language reinforcing a social hierarchy. And so portraying resurrection wasn’t only for its religious undertones, but as an ideological weapon too. This scene visualises a challenge to worldly authority. Curator: Maybe we’re both right? What strikes me is how Holbein creates something enduring from such old stories. Centuries later, here we are still debating its meanings! Editor: And perhaps our debate highlights its strength. Holbein delivers an image that transcends its original moment, inviting generations to reconsider the relationship between power, faith, and the human condition. It’s the gift of meaningful, thought-provoking art!