Pietà 1475 - 1500

Cosimo Tura painted this "Pietà," with tempera on wood, its precise date unknown. The work presents a striking composition of angular forms and muted colors, evoking a sense of profound sorrow and stillness. The stark, almost geometric rendering of Christ's body contrasts with the softer, more curvilinear treatment of the Virgin Mary. Tura uses line and form to draw our attention to the emotional core of the scene. Notice how the jagged rocks in the background mirror the sharp, angular lines of Christ's limbs, creating a visual echo of suffering and disruption. This use of geometric abstraction is not merely decorative. The symbolic value of the rocks serves as a semiotic code, emphasizing the break from established forms of representation, reflecting a world where traditional certainties have been fractured by the tragedy of the Passion. The painting’s formal structure destabilizes conventional notions of beauty, urging us to confront the raw, unsettling reality of human suffering.