Not a Christian myself, but I doubt any single day has inspired as much beautiful art as Good Friday. Here are some Renaissance favorites to brighten(?) your timeline.
Matthias Grunewald, The Isenheim Altarpiece (open) 1512-1516
Matthias Grunewald, The Isenheim Altarpiece (open) 1512-1516
Lots of incredible details in this piece, including some very expressive fingers, a lurking demon, and Saint Sebastian, the patron saint of plague victims. Appropriate!
Rogier van der Weyden, Deposition of Christ, 1435. A very challenging painting. Everything is distorted, nothing is true to "nature". Italian artists poo-poo'ed it. Shows what they know.
Lastly, Raphael's Entombment (1507). There's so much to say about this one. It's the work that established Raphael as a superstar. Whereas Weyden's is intentionally static and suspended in grief, this one is surging with emotion.
Two fun details worth noting. The man on the left is the only figure without a halo, marking him as Nicodemus. A pharisee, he came to Christ slowly and with initial skepticism.
And below on that stump is Raphael's signature, which Christ appears to be pointing to. Humble!
And below on that stump is Raphael's signature, which Christ appears to be pointing to. Humble!
Maybe tomorrow I'll post some Harrowing of Hell stuff. Good Saturday was pretty good for art too.
