© Jeannette D’Souza 2025
Welcome to my blog ‘Painting in the trace of Christ’- part 4. In this part following on with the story of Jesus as from my previous 3 blogs, I have continued with relevant photos of paintings of the passion of Christ. It commences with Jesus’ last supper followed by His passion and death on the cross with related Bible extracts and my thoughts around the subject.
My sincere thanks to The National Gallery of London for letting me explore their exquisite collection and enabling me to express the spiritual side of art and narrate themes through faith.
Hope you like the blog, wishing all visitors a continued blessed Lenten season. 🙏🏼💫✨
The focal point of Maundy Thursday – the Last Supper where Jesus shares a meal with his twelve apostles and initiates the sacrament of the Eucharist, symbolising his body and blood shed in salvation for all!
I have taken the direct extract from the bible as below to make the painting more meaningful.
Matthew 26: 17-30 – On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?”
He replied, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.’” So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover. When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve, and while they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.”
They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, “Surely you don’t mean me, Lord?”
Jesus replied, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.”
Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, “Surely you don’t mean me, Rabbi?”
Jesus answered, “You have said so.” While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”
Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
The artist Poussin has depicted a solemn moment with a natural yet a dramatic approach. In this narrative scene Christ raises his right hand in blessing while his other hand enfolds the bread and wine. The apostles gathered around seen sitting besides him while some stretching on the recliners on either sides. They have varied expressions- some deeply immersed, some distressed and perturbed, some others questioning their hearts. It is a poignant moment as they all react to the words “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.”
While Judas might be depicted intentionally twice- one painted at the table probably second from the left as he is the only one who does not turn towards Jesus and perhaps he is also painted a second time leaving by the door. Poussin draws out the mood of sombreness, at the centre through the use of complex shadows and light from the candlelight the scene is focussed upon, while the foreground is left simple with a lit candle.
Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee James and John along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” (Mathew 26:36-38)
The narration in this painting comes is 3 focal ways- in the main centre scene, Jesus sweats blood in agony from knowing all that is to befall him and angels appear over to comfort him. While in the foreground the three apostles are found deep in sleep oblivious of the danger that would befall Jesus, and lastly – farther in the distance Judas is shown leading the band of soldiers to arrest Jesus…
And so the passion of Jesus begins from the agony in the garden leading onto his suffering and eventually death on the cross.
This painting is slightly different from the usual art depictions of the ‘Mount of Olives’, the artist
Mantegna came from Padua, a city on the Venetian mainland. He was the artist Giovanni Bellini’s brother-in-law. In this detailed painting his interests in classical antiquity and historical architecture are apparent. Another part of the focus lies on the landscape encompassing the holy city of Jerusalem which appears fixed over a fortified level surrounded by green hills. The background shows intricate rocky formations that soar dominantly over winding pathways under paler blue skies.
Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.” (Mathew 26; 39)
The heart rendering scene unfolds with Jesus moving away from the 3 apostles and falling on his face into cupped palms….praying to Abba Father to deliver him from this fate, yet only if it was the Father’s will. An angel is seen in the sky holding the chalice, as one that is human Jesus is anguished and saddened as he would ‘drink this cup’ that was given to him. The cup of great physical suffering and mental agony, of distress, denial, degradation and finally death. And yet, Jesus looks up in joined hands symbolising his acceptance to offer himself as a sacrifice….let Thy will be done!
The artist Bellini adapted this complex arrangement from his brother-in-law Mantegna’s version of the scene as seen earlier to the one above this painting. The dawn lit landscape folding into Good Friday depicts nature’s perpetual change with shifting clouds, it is where great suffering and death await the Saviour of the world.
After Jesus was captured the high priests and elders questioned him and then took him to Pontius Pilate the governor of Judea to bring criminal charges against him. They put forward accusations against Jesus while Jesus stood there in silence, (ref- Mathew 27;1..)
Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged(John 19:1)
The scourging at the pillar also known as The flagellation of Christ evokes a moving sight of our Lord, it brings to mind the cruel suffering that would be placed upon him.
He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth. (Isaiah 53-7)
Though Christ’s nature was heavenly yet he took the sins upon himself so that we would inherit eternal life!
The artist Velazquez is one of my favourite artist, and he painted many biblical works which I have used in my blogs. In this painting observe how he draws out the vulnerability in the scene from expressions to shadows and light effects. His depictions are bathed in emotions, they sustain the viewers gaze in contemplation. After the scourging, Christ is gasping while the angel on the right gestures to the littlechild who is the personification of a soul, directing him to cortemplate the suffering Christ, the child watches Christ with great empathy. In the foreground the torturing instruments are displayed, this imagery is particular to Spain.
After Jesus was captured the high priests and elders took him to Pontius Pilate the governor of Judea to question him. They put forward accusations against Jesus while Jesus stood there in silence, then Pilate asked Jesus,
(Mathew 27;1..)
“Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus answered “So you say”, Luke 23-3..) but Jesus said nothing in response to the accusations of the chief priests and elders, which surprised Pilate.
Pilate tries to avoid sentencing Jesus, he is convinced that Jesus is blameless. Even more so because his wife has had a dream telling her that Jesus is completely innocent and she sends a message to her husband about this. Pilate attempts to find ways to work around the situation and as it was a Passover custom for a prisoner to be released he brings forward the 2 prisoners Barabbas a ‘notorious prisoner’ and Jesus in the hope that Jesus would be set free. But the people are persuaded to choose Barabbas and to sentence Jesus to crucifixion.
Pilate attempts to ask the crowd what crime Jesus has committed, but they shout “Crucify him! And so, Pilate washes his hands publicly to make clear that Jesus’ death is not his responsibility.
This moving scene speaks directly to the viewer, questioning their thoughts and evoking empathy. Pilate is shown pointing out to us- ‘Here is your king’, while Jesus with hands bound and bearing the crown of thorns reflects the vulnerable gaze of a ‘lamb to its slaughter’. His mother Mary is in shock and is seen fainting only to be supported by Mary Magdalene. The guard to the right looks on compassionately, the foreground shows Mary’s limp hands close to the surrendering hands of our saviour, bound …, it draws to mind the hymn-
‘Oh my people, what have I done to you, how have I afflicted you, answer me’.
I have chosen quite a few of this artist Correggio’s pieces in my blogs, they often tug the viewer’s core of faith and emotion to surface, they engage the viewer to question their hearts and minds into reflection.
The crucifixion was not only a ‘painful slow death’ but it also included pre-inflicting humiliation, amplifying agony and pain as it stripped the prisoners of their dignity. Jesus’ crime according to the elders and high priests was that ‘He made himself the king of the Jews’. And so the Roman soldiers persecute Jesus thus in relevance toward this accusation-
They strip him off his garments and place a scarlet robe upon him to mock him
They crown him with sharp thorns to inflict pain and to further mock him
They bind him and strike him
They spit on him to humiliate him
They sneer and jeer shouting ‘ Hail king of the Jews’….
Jesus does not retaliate as he silently accepts this torture as redemption for all, meekly without hesitation he offers himself for the salvation of all, what must have gone through his human self though during this tremendous agony?
This painting holds one to the core rooted in place, I paused there in silence…
The artist Perugino has conveyed a reflective theme and he draws focus of a contemplative nature, his emphasis lies on the heart and soul of the subject. He adapted a formula derived from Netherlandish painting, a ‘portrait’ of Christ designed to remind the viewer of his suffering during his Mocking.
As the soldiers led Jesus away, they seized Simon from Cyrene who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. For the time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the childless women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ ‘’Then they will say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us!’ And to the hills, ‘Cover us!’’ ‘’For if people do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?” (Luke 23:26-31)
The 3 canonical Gospels narrate the passion of Christ and connecting the 3 gives a vivid view of Christ’s passion. St John’s version forms the main reading usually for Good Friday, decades ago we used to sing the whole passion on the day at church.
The punishment leading up to the crucifixion was harsh and strenuous so as to physically and mentally torture the accused, inflicting immense pain and insults to cause their spirits to torment. This was the deliberate intention in order to deter any uprising or attacks against the empire and the soldiers were given this intense task to finish the crucifixions thus. Knowing this harshness of suffering leading right upto Golgotha the anguished women gather around Jesus as he falls under the weight of the cross, and St Veronica holds up a cloth to wipe the face of Jesus, miraculously His image is impressed upon the cloth… Soon Jesus was to be crucified, their hearts are torn, Mary weeps in distress to see her son being beaten and led away by soldiers, and as the tumultuous crowd push around the scene soldiers carry on with the ruthless parade amidst this mayhem.
The artist Jacopo Bassano has sketched this scene as told at ‘The stations of the cross’, and his narration captures the intensity and helplessness of the moments, it brings to mind the suffering followed by the agonising death awaiting our Lord Jesus.
John 19;17-30 – So they took Jesus, and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them. Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” Many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek. So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but rather, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’” Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.”
When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, so they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.” This was to fulfill the Scripture which says,
“They divided my garments among them,
and for my clothing they cast lots.”
So the soldiers did these things, but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.
The Death of Jesus
After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. (John 19;17-30)
We adore You O Christ and we praise You-
Because by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world!
The artist Raphael has narrated the theme of Good Friday with deep spiritual interpretation. His inner feelings portrayed here seem to lead us to gaze upon the crucified Christ and the cross, to sense His last words “It is finished” as he dies…the innocent lamb offered and salvation given to all! His sacred blood is saved by angels in chalices symbolising his ultimate sacrifice for the world, and is celebrated in remembrance at every mass celebrated at the altar. Mary his mother and St John grieve with limp hands palely looking on towards the viewer, St Jerome and Mary Magdalene gaze on the agony of Christ and His apparent death.
The sun and moon on either sides refer to the darkness and light from the eclipse that occurred when Christ commended his Spirit to the Father, while the pale dewy sky just after the eclipse mourns a saviour. The dark grim contrast of the foreground reflects a sombre mood. The letters I.N.R.I. stand for the Latin lesus Nazarenus Rex ludaeorum (Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews).
St Jerome the early Christian theologian who translated the Bible into Latin, is the sole character portrayed here who was not present at the actual Crucifixion of Christ. However, this painting was the altarpiece for a burial chapel dedicated to St Jerome in San Domenico, Città di Castello.
The geometrical style with the cross at the centre of an arch divides the composition down the middle, the dark shades against the paler background contrast strongly to narrate feelings, they heighten the grim atmosphere to convey the emotion of the moment.
With this pic I end this part 4 of my blog, wishing everyone abundant peace and blessings as we continue this season of Lent.✨💫
18th March 2025
© Jeannette D’Souza 2025
