The Lamentation over the Dead Christ

The Lamentation over the Dead Christ

Rembrandt (1610-1612) 31.9 x 26.7 cm

The subject matter is the Christ on the cross. The painting looks very depressing because of the dead people and Christ and the thieves on the crosses. “The theme of the Lamentation is traditional, although it is not described in the Bible. It shows Mary, the mother of Jesus, Mary Magdalene and others, weeping over his body after the Crucifixion. Rembrandt's picture is carefully constructed to connect with other episodes of the story of Christ's suffering and death. The two thieves remind us of the Crucifixion itself. The figures climbing down the ladders recall the Deposition, when Christ's body was brought down from the cross. The group of people on the right includes a man with a feathered hat, whose elegant dress may be meant to suggest Joseph of Arimathaea, who provided the tomb for the Entombment, the burial of Christ.” (http://www.nationalgalleryimages.co.uk/)

Crucifixion of Jesus was the meaning of this artwork. The colors that were used were a lot of black and gray, a little white, tan, and brown. The style was monochrome oil sketch or grisaille for an etching and it was placed in the Italian Renaissance work. Rembrandt van Rijn was a famous artist and The Lamentation over the Dead Christ was one of his one of his most famous pieces of artwork. The unity is Jesus on the cross and the conceptual unity is the Crucifixion of Jesus. He put in a radial balance in the painting. Rembrandt uses contour and actual lines throughout the painting.

The center point is Jesus in the middle being crucified on the cross. The emphasis is on Jesus. The focal point is Jesus on the cross. The secondary area of interest is the thieves on the other two crosses on the left side of the painting. Rembrandt used one type of shape and it was geometric. The geometric