UCLA ID: 804789190
Renaissance and Baroque Art: Discussion 1I
A Formal Analysis of The Crucifixion The Renaissance Period is often seen as a revival of classic art which bridges the transition of the artwork of the Middle Ages to the artwork of the Early Modern Era. Many artworks during the Renaissance were influenced by the preceding era, the Middle Ages. During the Middle Ages, depictions of biblical tales were quite common and this trend continued into the Renaissance. The Renaissance painting, The Crucifixion, portrays the biblical story of the crucifixion of Jesus as well as the damnation and salvation. This painting was done by Dreux Budé Master, possibly André d 'Ypres, before 1450. In The Crucifixion, Dreux Budé Master …show more content…
In the painting, Christ is illuminated by being colored in with very pale colors, but he surrounded by a myriad of colors. Each person depicted in the painting, especially those in the foreground, are each wearing clothes that have different hues, such as the Virgin is wearing blue while the Saint John is wearing red. The colors of each of their clothing are quite intense adding to the energy of the scene. There is also a mix of warm and cool tones throughout the painting, which adds the disorder of the painting. Another important aspect of the painting is the use of color in the middle ground and background. Although the shapes in the middle ground and background appear to be balanced, the colors are asymmetrical. The left side of the painting uses a lot of naturalistic colors with the brown building and the pale blue sky. The right side of the painting uses more contrasting colors. The sky, the demon, and the rocky plain are colored in using dark brown, dark red, dark blue, and black. This contrasts with the area below the demon, which is hell, that colored in with intense yellow and red. The asymmetrical balance of both sides assists in adding more disorder to the chaotic atmosphere of this painting in order to intensify the scene. Overall, the artist use of color in The Crucifixion helps increase the energy and chaos of the painting to intensify the events depicted in the