I believe the hooded woman in agony is the Virgin. Her emotional state is made
more accessible not only by her gestures but by the two figures wailing with
her and the impossible energy in their drapery. The lifelessness of Christ’s
form is emphasized by a reduction of color purity. The star-like light from
above has the power to highlight all figures except his. The desperate sense of
loss in each figure is so clearly communicated that this painting draws all all but the most calloused
observer in. The lower figure bearing the weight of Chirst’s body is in an
impossibly distorted pose. His crouch would not support the weight on it, and
the position of his back, neck and head are unnaturally elongated. I believe
this is not an error, but a compositional choice, along with his direct gaze,
to draw the observer into the scene. |
Formal design and emotional energy are in equivalent proportions. While there is subtle tension in energy, design is calculated. The light source is dramatic and references are made to the supernatural, creating what I would argue is a hyper-realistic painting. Expressing the emotional states of the figures and the moment before Christ’s apotheosis are the purpose behind this work more than the unfolding of a complicated story.
Formal design and emotional energy are in equivalent proportions. While there is subtle tension in energy, design is calculated. The light source is dramatic and references are made to the supernatural, creating what I would argue is a hyper-realistic painting. Expressing the emotional states of the figures and the moment before Christ’s apotheosis are the purpose behind this work more than the unfolding of a complicated story.
The
development of tenebrism experiences advancement in this painting. Value-based
modelling is obvious, approaching Baroque development. In addition, a fluid
fore/mid/background pictorial organization is based on value: Highlights sink
to midtones, and the darkest values create the ground and sky. This sense of
depth is further supported by reduction of detail and foreshortening. I would
argue that the relationships of this painting’s edges, shapes, values and colors
are so complicated that gestalt does not apply.
While the canvas is vertically-oriented, the subject matter is radially balanced starting on the axis connecting the faces of the Virgin and Christ. The faces, limbs and roman arch framing device create roughly spiraling pattern of motion, ending with a direct reference to the observer.
Figurative, organic shapes interlock and dominate the picture plane. Even artificial subjects are formatted in the same manner as the flesh. Pontormo’s application of color is delicate and rich, yet light, reinforcing the vitality and fragility of human flesh. He uses chroma and differences in relative warmth and coolness to harmonize the canvas.
The fact that this event takes place at or after dusk is contradicted by the nearly blinding off-canvas lower-right light source. All figures are in a state of desperate emotion, emphasized by the almost chaotic and tangled arrangement of limbs, gestures, clothing folds and sight lines. Some appear to be weightless. Pontormo’s manipulation of energy and eye movement through complicated lines of motion and distortion are masterful. He has created a composition that has delicately balanced desperate emotion in conflict with light, hyper-realistic beauty.
While the canvas is vertically-oriented, the subject matter is radially balanced starting on the axis connecting the faces of the Virgin and Christ. The faces, limbs and roman arch framing device create roughly spiraling pattern of motion, ending with a direct reference to the observer.
Figurative, organic shapes interlock and dominate the picture plane. Even artificial subjects are formatted in the same manner as the flesh. Pontormo’s application of color is delicate and rich, yet light, reinforcing the vitality and fragility of human flesh. He uses chroma and differences in relative warmth and coolness to harmonize the canvas.
The fact that this event takes place at or after dusk is contradicted by the nearly blinding off-canvas lower-right light source. All figures are in a state of desperate emotion, emphasized by the almost chaotic and tangled arrangement of limbs, gestures, clothing folds and sight lines. Some appear to be weightless. Pontormo’s manipulation of energy and eye movement through complicated lines of motion and distortion are masterful. He has created a composition that has delicately balanced desperate emotion in conflict with light, hyper-realistic beauty.
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