The Crowning with Thorns 1983

Georg Baselitz created this painting, titled "The Crowning with Thorns," with oil on canvas. The composition immediately strikes you as unconventional, with the figures painted upside down. This disorientation challenges our conventional way of seeing. Baselitz uses bold strokes and vibrant colours which seem almost haphazard yet create an intriguing tension. Notice how the artist uses a limited colour palette. Patches of red, green, yellow and pink define the figures and background. The inverted figures disrupt traditional representation. Baselitz began inverting his figures in 1969. The inversion functions as a structural device, drawing attention to the painting's formal elements rather than its subject. This approach aligns with post-structuralist ideas, questioning fixed meanings and hierarchies in art. The upside-down figures invite us to reconsider our perceptions and expectations. It highlights the painting's construction and materiality.