Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Standinfrontofthecenterpieceasifyouwereamedievalpeasant,andfeeltheagony
and suffering of the Crucifixion. It's an intimate drama. The point—Jesus' suffering—is
drilledhome:Theweightofhisbodybendsthecrossbar(unrealistically,creatinganalmost
crossbow effect). His elbows are pulled from their sockets by the weight of his dead body.
People who are crucified die of asphyxiation, as Jesus' chest illustrates. His mangled feet
are swollen with blood. The intended viewers—the hospital's patients—may have felt that
Jesus understood their suffering, because he looks like he had a skin disease (though the
marks on his skin represent lash marks from whipping). Study the faces and the Christian
symbolism.ThegriefonMary'sfaceisagonizing.Sheiswrappedinthewhiteshroudthat
will cover Jesus' body in the tomb. The sorrowful composition on the left is powerful. On
the far left stands St. Sebastian (called upon by those with the plague) and on the right is
St. Anthony (called upon by those with ergot poisoning from rotten rye).
The predella (the horizontal painting below) shows a hyper-realistic Entombment of
Jesus. Jesus' fingernails are black—as is the case with any corpse, and Mary Magdalene's
face is red with anguish.
