In this painting, El Greco combines the iconic power of the crucifix with the expressive power of landscape painting. He sets the cross atop Golgotha, the "place of the skull," with Jerusalem looming in the background. He eliminates the other characters from the biblical narrative, encouraging the viewer to contemplate Christ and his suffering.
El Greco's dramatic colors and exaggerated proportions distort the figure, illustrating the transcendent moments before death, when Christ sublimated his physical pain and commended his spirit to God. Light plays across his undulating form, illuminating his tortured body against the dark background. Storm clouds mass around his body, whose glowing pallor is echoed in the dramatic flashes of light playing through the sky. His eyes turned heavenward, Christ looks away from the bones and skulls that lie at his feet, to emphasize his triumph over death.
El Greco and his studio produced several variations of this subject. The significance of the horses and riders carrying a standard in the distance is unknown, though it is repeated in most versions of this composition. The painting was unknown prior to being purchased by a Spanish family at a flea market around 1950. It remained in their possession until the year 2000, when it was acquired by the Getty Museum.
Our Cards are all printed on 100% cotton tree-free archival paper. All Cards include a recycled kraft envelope in a protective sleeve individually hand wrapped for you. Each card is printed one at a time and hand bound here in Lugano, Switzerland. We ship all over the world via SwissPost. Please allow 5-9 business days for us to make them and 5-7 business days for transit. Art Prints are printed on heavy matte finish German art paper using the finest Canon archival inks. Frame is black natural with a white mattboard and Acrylite glazing.
Wall Murals are printed on 42" matte finish, self-adhesive Kodak PhotoText fabric panels that combine and mount easily on a non textured wall surface. We can custom make to any size, just ask.
Stretched Canvas is stretched by hand over 1.5" thick pine bars and printed on cotton poly matte finish canvas. Each canvas is hand coated with Hahnemuhle UV/Archive coating, these are Swiss quality best in industry canvases.
All our images are digitized from the original negative, printed and assembled in Switzerland to museum standards by our master printer.
All of our products are popular and custom made by hand to order, please allow 2-4 weeks to make them and 1-2 weeks for shipment anywhere in the world.
Questions? Please email service@archivea.com
Artwork in this collection is from The J. Paul Getty Museum. Reproduction rights are reserved by the copyright owner and used under license by Archivea GmbH.
