Rueda, Ismael Rodriguez (1995). El Sueño de Erasmo [oiil on canvas].

The image is disturbing; the wood of the crucifix is replaced with generalized human figures, suggesting that humanity caused his suffering as much as the symbol itself. The sickly colors and writhing motion created by the rounded forms resemble the inferno; they are there, he is not. There are no identifiable faces; everyone is represented. |

The subject is a more modern interpretation of the crucifixion than common in classic artistic periods. The treatment of the subject does not seem to be satirical, nor is it treated with sympathy. It is raw, rendered with oil on canvas.

Circular shapes are repeated throughout the composition, more rounded in the background but elongated (tortured) when applied to the subject. Circular shapes repeat in four negative spaces, which seem to be holes in reality, moments from swallowing the figures in the background. The colors are cold; a narrow tetrad seems to be the strategy. One gradient leans purplish-red with identifiable moments of green, the other leans pale blue with splashes of orange. However, the greens and oranges could simply be muddy browns meaning this is work is not the described tetrad. Purity is employed much more than value.

Adjustment to detail establishes depth in this work. Next come diminution and relative shape size. Space is subordinate to the other methods used in this work, as is balance. The overall composition is static, with weight favoring the upper portions of the picture plane.

Dominance is used more than equivalency. The central figure, fleshy, organic shapes, careful calibration of detail and one-sided purity scales demonstrate this. There are notable counters to these four strategies. Smaller, more rounded shapes and less than a handful angular shapes and complementary colors can be identified.

After the central figure, the eye mixes with the swelling figures below it, to the contrasting lighter areas created by the openings and their more angular shapes. The viewer is a spectator in the crowd, looking slightly up at the central figure, eye level at or above his knees. 

This work inspires a sense of horror, and lasting discomfort. It is Rueda’s expert and consistent elemental treatment, nearly surrealistic use of color, and illusion of angry motion that create this emotion. Because of this, organic unity is achieved.