Hereditary artist Jerome Bosch is considered one of the most mysterious and mystical artists of the Netherlands. Living in the 15th century, he left the world not so many paintings. The painting "Carrying the Cross", painted between 1490-1500, is a reproduction of the biblical story "The Way of the Cross of Jesus Christ." Work causes strong emotions. Bosch painted three paintings of the same name, each of which can tell us a lot.
Dutch art of the 15-16th centuries
In the history of art of the 15-16th centuries. in the Netherlands they call the Northern Renaissance. This period can be dated to the European Renaissance, but with a northern accent. In art, the Gothic style still ruled, only with a strong religious connotation. Bosch's work touches on the later period of the Renaissance, but also follows its main canons.
The painting "Carrying the Cross" Jerome Bosch wrote in accordance with all the rules of the Gothic style of that era, put into its creation the horror of the cruelty of his time and the gloom of reality.
Jerome Bosch
Jeroen van Aken was born around the 1450s at the Duchy of Brabant in the Netherlands. His father and grandfather were artists, it is not surprising that Bosch decides to continue the family craft.
After the death of his father in 1478, Jerome inherits his art workshop. However, recognition as an artist he receives only after a successful marriage to a girl from a wealthy merchant family.
In 1486, the artist entered into a religious fraternity dedicated to the Virgin Mary. This will be largely reflected in all his works. One of these works will be the famous works of Jerome Bosch - "The Cross".
Bosch died on August 9, 1516 in the hometown of Hertogenbosch.
Bible story
In the New Testament, the story of Jesus Christ is described in sufficient detail. The Way of the Cross is one of the episodes of fourteen biblical standing. After Jesus was sentenced to death, he took the cross on which he should be crucified, and carried to the place of execution. The following describes the difficult path of Christ, where under the weight of the cross he cannot stand and falls several times. On the way, he meets his mother and compassionate people helping him carry his cross. Saint Veronica wipes her face with Christ, which will also be displayed in the picture of Bosch. After the third fall, he is deprived of clothing. Cruel warders beat and humiliate Jesus. This cruelty will be captured in the ugly faces in the artist's painting. After Jesus Christ is nailed to the cross, he dies in terrible agony. Then his body will be put in a coffin and buried.
Description of the picture
Bosch painted three paintings, Carrying the Cross, but they are all dedicated to one episode of biblical history. Christ's path to Calvary was difficult not only physically, but primarily emotionally. The people around him were divided into two camps - those who gloated, and those who sincerely sympathized with their teacher.
The description of the painting "Carrying the Cross" is worth starting with the image of these people whose images, completely disgusting, mixed with the incredibly beautiful and sad. The faces of the characters in the picture are more caricatured than realistic, they seem to have risen from hell and in their mocking expressions resemble more devils than people.
In all the paintings in the center of Jesus Christ. He bent under the weight of the cross, and it is also difficult for him under the weight of the anger directed at him from the people around him.
Read more about the paintings "Carrying the Cross" and the description below.
Mannerism style
It is worth briefly telling about the style in which all three paintings were painted. Mannerism translates as "mannered." A distinctive feature is distorted people and faces. This style is characterized by unrealistic figures, mannered images and religious motifs. The episodes of pictures overloaded with details, the lack of clear forms, crumpled style and storyline. But at the same time, the brightness of images, immersion in detail and pretentiousness of the depicted objects.
Bosch wrote The Carrying the Cross in this style and was the first of his kind to use this artistic solution for such a subtle biblical interpretation.
Painting in Madrid
One of the three paintings "Carrying the Cross" is in the Royal Palace in Spain. At the center of the picture is the seemingly serene image of Christ. The gaze is fixed on us, expresses its detachment from what is happening. Jesus' body falls under the weight of the cross, but there is no expression of anguish on his face. A crown of thorns frames his head, but also does not seem painful.
An elderly man in white clothes is Simon of Cyrene, the very famous biblical character who helped Jesus carry his cross part of the way to Calvary. It is he, the influential and wealthy disciple of Christ, who will persuade Pontius Pilate to let him bury the teacher humanly in a tomb.
The many people surrounding Christ on the left side of the picture are his enemies and the guards leading him to execution. Their faces express gloating and contempt. At the same time, the artist portrays them as ugly and scary. Embittered souls seem to be imprinted on their faces.
In the background you can see the mother of Jesus Christ - Mary, who cries in the arms of the Apostle John. The artist depicted this mother’s suffering in the upper right corner of the picture; two people cannot be overlooked in the general plan of the ongoing chaos.
Painting in Vienna
Another of Bosch’s three paintings is in the Austrian capital, in the Museum of Art History. Presumably, this work was only the left wing of the extant triptych. It is also believed that the picture was significantly reduced from above. Today we can only guess about the full version of the work of art, but many experts believe that there should be a continuation on the right. This is either the "descent from the cross," or "mourning."
In the center of this picture is also Jesus Christ. However, it differs from the previous version. Here Jesus does not look at us, he is focused on his burden. The artist aggravates the suffering of Christ with the image on his feet of thorns, which in the 15th century were used as a means of torture. Despite the fact that there is no blood in the picture, the horror of this painful invention causes great compassion.
Simon of Cyrene is not depicted in the picture in white clothes, and he clearly does not help to carry the cross to the teacher, but only concerns him. In the expression on his face you can see a misunderstanding, a dumb question froze in the expression of his eyes.
A huge number of furious people also gloat and taunts the plight of the condemned. Their images are completely different, young and old, rich and poor, all united by the joy of execution, but not compassion. In these expressions and the motleyness of the public, all the pain of this work.
It is worth mentioning the executioner, who leads Christ to execution by a rope. In his hands is a shield in the center of which a toad is depicted. It is the toad that is the symbol of satanic society.
The picture is devoid of the correct proportions, combining two main storylines. Christ was crucified as a robber, along with two other bandits convicted of robbery. Crucifixion on the cross - a terrible execution, which was applied to the lowest and most dangerous criminals. In biblical history, one of the criminals repents and asks God for salvation. Jesus will promise him paradise with him after death. It was these two robbers who were captured by the painter at the bottom of the picture. One of them, on the right, repented of his atrocities and asks God to absolve him of his sins. The other, on the left, on the contrary, longs for revenge; he does not repent, but only angers fate.
Ghent painting
One of Bosch's Carrying the Cross paintings is in Belgium, in the city of Ghent, at the Museum of Fine Arts. The most aggressive of the three paintings by the artist. Nowhere with such ugliness does he depict the heroes of his works.
In the center is the unhappy face of Jesus Christ, expressing the unbearable spiritual anguish. Another notable character is Saint Veronica. It was she who gave Jesus a clean handkerchief in order to wipe the sweat and blood on his face. The face of God will appear on this scarf later on; in the indicated painting, it already exists as a full-fledged image.
All other participants in the picture amaze with their ugliness. As in previous versions, they express all human abomination, but it is in this picture that their inner ugliness is so clearly displayed on the monstrous facial expressions.