Throughout the years, many have wondered how the depiction of Christ's crucifixion has changed from the early medieval era to the late medieval, roughly the time span from about c. 400-1500. It can be said that, during the medieval time period, Christ’s life was an important theme, especially that of His death on the cross. During the Roman time period, crucifixion was the essential and most gruesome way to punish one who had committed crime(s). However, with that being said, it is interesting to see how the crucifixion has been depicted in art, especially when comparing it to earlier and later images within the medieval time period. In order to understand how Christ’s crucifixion has changed from the early medieval era to the late medieval,
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The Gero Crucifix, commissioned by the archbishop of Cologne, is one of the many depictions of the crucifixion. As expressive realism had a large role in German art rather than that of fictional character, this wooden crucifix truly does invoke the idea that Christ was a real person and that He too, even as powerful as He was, felt pain. If one looks at The Gero Crucifix, he or she might come to the conclusion that Jesus looks pregnant, as His torso is seemingly bloated. His sagging arms, penetrated with nails attached to a wooden crucifix, provide a sense of tension and inability to move. Unlike many of its counterparts, this representation of the death of Christ is one of the most accurate depictions of what Jesus could have looked like, hanging on the cross, as its expressive realism allows one to look at the scene through a different lens, seeing the crucifixion of Christ as a way to grow closer to Christ and know Him as not only our savior, but as a person much like ourselves who could feel pain. Through similar approaches of expression, artwork like the crucifixion became much more personal and easier to …show more content…
The most similar image to that of crucifixion on the pilgrim’s box is the ivory plaque of the Crucifixion from Christ’s Passion, which was mentioned previously, and the crucifixion from the Rabbula Gospels. Both pieces show Christ with bulging, swollen eyes, yet the physicality of the figures are stiff, unlike the crucifixion from the doors of Santa Sabina which creates a sense of
The Gero Crucifix, commissioned by the archbishop of Cologne, is one of the many depictions of the crucifixion. As expressive realism had a large role in German art rather than that of fictional character, this wooden crucifix truly does invoke the idea that Christ was a real person and that He too, even as powerful as He was, felt pain. If one looks at The Gero Crucifix, he or she might come to the conclusion that Jesus looks pregnant, as His torso is seemingly bloated. His sagging arms, penetrated with nails attached to a wooden crucifix, provide a sense of tension and inability to move. Unlike many of its counterparts, this representation of the death of Christ is one of the most accurate depictions of what Jesus could have looked like, hanging on the cross, as its expressive realism allows one to look at the scene through a different lens, seeing the crucifixion of Christ as a way to grow closer to Christ and know Him as not only our savior, but as a person much like ourselves who could feel pain. Through similar approaches of expression, artwork like the crucifixion became much more personal and easier to …show more content…
The most similar image to that of crucifixion on the pilgrim’s box is the ivory plaque of the Crucifixion from Christ’s Passion, which was mentioned previously, and the crucifixion from the Rabbula Gospels. Both pieces show Christ with bulging, swollen eyes, yet the physicality of the figures are stiff, unlike the crucifixion from the doors of Santa Sabina which creates a sense of