"Crucifixion"

The artist uses the colours of yellow, red and blue for the clothing in order to communicate the themes of eternal light, the passion and the position of humanity. The purpose of Christ's pain was as a sacrifice to the rest of us, for which we should be eternally grateful.

Anthony van Dyck would have been 31 years of age when he completed this painting, just entering the last decade of his career. It was at this point that he had completed significant training from several experienced teachers and had also traveled extensively across Europe in search of new influences.

The artist was most famous for single portraits and these religious scenes were far less frequent. In some cases he would be tasked with the challenge of merging reality with the divine, something his major donor Charles I would request. The monarch would often wish to be portrayed in a similar way to the religious characters that found within this painting here.

The crucifixion has long since held particular interest and inspiration for artists across the religious world, with many making their own depictions of it at some point in their career. Religious themes dominated throughout the Renaissance and Baroque periods, with this particular theme being seen as one of the most emotional and instantly recognizable.

Raphael, Diego Velazquez and Caravaggio would all produce their own paintings along this theme, although the latter's was actually the Crucifixion of St Peter. Giovanni Bellini, Jan van Eyck and Peter Paul Rubens would also all tackle this topic with large scale paintings.

Sir Anthony van Dyck (22 March 1599 – 9 December 1641) was a Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England after success in the Spanish Netherlands and Italy.

He became the chief assistant to Peter Paul Rubens, the leading master painter of Antwerp and the whole of Northern Europe. Rubens operated a large workshop and often relied on sub-contracted artists. His influence on the young artist was immense. Rubens referred to the nineteen-year-old van Dyck as "the best of my pupils".

van Dyck is believed to have left his master's workshop in 1615 or 1616 to set up his independent workshop before he became a master. The reason was that his father was experiencing financial difficulties and could use any assistance he could get. It was during the period van Dyck may have started painting the series of panels of Christ and the Apostles in bust-length, although it is also possible that this only happened after his first return from Italy in 1620-21.