"The Crucified Christ"

Diego Velázquez (baptized June 6, 1599, Sevilla, Spain—died August 6, 1660, Madrid) was the most important Spanish painter of the 17th century, a giant of Western art. Velázquez is universally acknowledged as one of the world’s greatest artists. The naturalistic style in which he was trained provided a language for the expression of his remarkable power of observation in portraying both the living model and still life. Stimulated by the study of 16th-century Venetian painting, he developed from a master of faithful likeness and characterization into the creator of masterpieces of visual impression unique in his time. With brilliant diversity of brushstrokes and subtle harmonies of colour, he achieved effects of form and texture, space, light, and atmosphere that make him the chief forerunner of 19th-century French Impressionism.

The sacrifice of Christ’s life, rather than his birth, holds the most significance in Christian theology. Typically, a Crucifixion scene features Christ suspended on a cross with mourners—the Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene, and John the Baptist—at his feet. He is also frequently flanked by the two thieves crucified alongside him. Additional symbols also recur, such as a pelican plucking its breast—a reiteration of sacrifice—or a skull, supposedly Adam’s, at the foot of the cross—a symbol of original sin. Diego Velázquez’s Christ Crucified (1632) strips back the scene to include only Christ, frontally lit, a mild halo of light emanating from his bowed head. This pared-down composition continues to inspire artists.

Velazquez's use of light and shadow creates the idea that the subject is rising from the darkness, almost as if Christ's body is emanating light. The anatomically proportioned body, supported by two separated open feet, creates an impression of Christ more reposed than dead.