Christ on the Cross
The Crucifixion of Christ from the Early Christian and Romanesque, through to the Gothic.
Throughout the history of the Western hemisphere, the depiction of the crucifixion has been carved and illustrated. Anything people could get there hands on became a medium for the biblical symbol. The human fascination with the death of Christ has become an artistic cornerstone of European Art throughout the middle ages. From as early as the Roman era we see Christ nailed to the cross, and also his limp figure being held by his mother. The artwork has been moulded by the different generations that wanted to portray and display the symbol with their own unique stylistic interpretation. The early Christians changed the realistic nature of the artwork and showed the world a more mystical interpretation of biblical accounts, changing the way in which we see religious art, for centuries. Further on in time Gothic art came to rise, and we see a bloodier and more vivid depiction of the death of Christ. History is riddled with varying interpretations of the death of Christ as the Christian Church places great emphasis on understanding that Christ died for our sins and we should forever be in sorrow and acknowledgment of his sacrifice. Therefore, the content ceases to change, but the way the story is told and image is portrayed, differs and grows throughout time.
In the earliest interpretations, we see the figure of Christ dying on the cross to represent many things, but one aspect of his suffering is truly exemplified: the redemption for sin.
This plaque from Northern France dates back to 870 A.D and is a late Christian depiction of Christ at the time of his crucifixion. Initially, it appears that there is a lot going on in such a small space, but on closer view we can see that the plaque not only depicts a single scene but it tells a greater story, and leaves a further message. This is typical of Christian art as it highlights the importance of story telling through the physical image, rather than the written word.
We can see Christ on the cross, with his feet apart and only a slight sag in his body. Furthermore his head is relatively upright and he does not appear to be feeling his own full weight. In addition we know he is still alive as the wound placed in his side after death is not on him. Around him we see several characters, both above and below him. To the right of Christ we see a flow of what is meant to be blood and water, which cascades onto rudimentary representations of Churches. This is no doubt a symbol of the Blood of Christ, which is an important feature in the Christian belief system. The symbol of Christ’s blood has remained important for Christians as it harks back to the most important and wider contextual analysis of the crucifixion scene and the basis of Christianity – the sacrifice of Christ for our sins. The plaque exhibits the metaphysical features of Christian Art in that there are incorrect proportions and less accurate portrayals of reality. Firstly, the size of Christ in comparison to the other characters is inaccurate, however, this draws attention to his figure (the most important thing carved in the marble medium). Moreover, the hands and feet are exemplified on Christ to bring attention to his wounds. At the base of the cross is a snake curled up, it is below Jesus to show that he is above what the snake is representative of: evil. The story told on the plaque is of his crucifixion but further down we see the resurrection occur at the tomb of Christ. This is important as it shows how the artist felt that the two stories, which are both critical and rich in terms of their relevance and literary prowess, required places together on the same relief.
Ultimately, this piece shows us how early Christian art conveyed the stories of the Bible to its people. The plaque was likely placed in or at the entrance of a Church and was usually hung up (we can tell this by the holes around the piece where nails would have held it). Furthermore, the choice to portray more with less physical accuracy is clear and is a part of the Christian art rhetoric as it is also seen in countless other pieces.
Another way in which we see Christs crucifixion is actually just after he has been crucified. Here we see an image of Christ being held in his mother (The Virgin Mary’s) arms. The piece is from the later middle ages (gothic era: 1375) and shows great differences to the Christ we saw in the first piece. Firstly, this piece shows Christ after he has died, we know this from the wound in his side, which is made after his death. However, the physical dynamics of the piece are not physically accurate again. Christ is seen in almost a child like dimension (it is believed that this is because Mary imagined that she was holding her child once more in her grief). The body of Mary is also disproportionate, in that her head for example is stretched out and elongated, this is another staple that makes Christian art differ from the directly realistic Greco-Roman pieces. On the carving we see Christ’s wounds exemplified as well. His hands are both made prominent by having one limply hanging by his mothers leg and the other stretched out across her chest and arm. On the hands we can see the wounds where the nails would have been put through to attach him to the cross. Furthermore, the ribcage on Christ draws the eye as it is also a physical inaccuracy but it can be interpreted more as a showing of his physical difference from an ordinary man as the rib is a significant symbol in Christianity regarding the creation and giving of life. In addition the piece has retained its paint, indicating that it was a wooden sculpture designed for indoor use. This could have been placed within a church or home for worship or decoration.
In a similar time and artist style, but with some interesting design features, this ivory carving of Christ shows a bloodier and more realistic vision of Christ on the cross. The body, head and limpness are more true to what the actual figure of Christ at the time of his crucifixion and death would have looked like. This piece is from 1300 and carved from Walrus ivory, suggesting that it was from somewhere in northern Europe. Christ’s wound in his side indicates that he is dead, and there are faint splatters of blood that have remained on the piece. The feature of blood is an interesting one, and it differs from the others as it is the only significant color on the body. Blood in Christianity is another symbol of importance. It shows the sacrifice and suffering that Jesus made and felt for us, and is therefore important to highlight. The piece coincides with others at this time in Gothic art as it makes a deviation away from story telling towards the understanding symbolism of art. The blood and limpness of the body evoke feelings and sensations of sorrow and gratefulness that Christ made this sacrifice, which is what the artists intent was.
The artwork created throughout the middle ages shows a clear pattern of growth from the Early christian and Romanesque, through to the Gothic era. The pieces seen here only scratch the surface of the artworks created to exhibit their interpretations of the Biblical account of the death of Christ. From vivid tales to red stains of blood, these pieces survived for centuries to tell their tale again and again and to illustrate the different time periods understanding and representations about the death of Christ. Art keeps developing and changing to reflect the artists times and beliefs and even in the modern day we see artists showing the crucifixion, for example the gore and uncensored nature of the film The Passion of The Christ (2004), is a modern artists rendering of a timeless Christian symbol that is known the world over. Therefore the greatest conclusion we can make is that the pioneers of Christianity will continue to grow the image of Christ being Crucified for centuries.