Christ on the Cross

The portrait Christ on the Cross is a painting that was crafted by the artist Jacques Louis David back in the year 1782. It is a religious painting which tells the story of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ at the cross on the mountain of Golgotha after being betrayed by one of His disciples Judas Iscariot as told in the Bible.

This work of art was commissioned by Louis de Noailles together with his wife at the church of St Vincent, Macon in Paris. In this work of art, Jacques Louis David has portrayed Jesus on the cross at night because darkness covers most part of the background, and there is a ray of light directed to the body of Jesus especially on the chest and stomach. Jacques Louis David has portrayed Jesus facing up to the clouds, and one can say that Jesus is asking for mercy and forgiveness from God against those who crucified him.

It is also evident that Jesus was crucified from high ground as it is in the Bible. The portrait shows Jesus to be at the highest point in the portrait as in the background one can see buildings down there and even other raised landscapes but still below Jesus. One can see a crown of thorns at the head of Christ, just as it is narrated in the Bible. Also, the crucifixion of Jesus is also evident that He was nailed on His hands and legs using huge nails. Jacques Louis David has portrayed Jesus almost naked only around the waist is Jesus wrapped with a piece of cloth. Also at the top of Jesus' head is a piece of wood with some writings written on it, maybe explaining more about Jesus death or why was He crucified or even who did it.

Jacques Louis David has portrayed Jesus Christ on the cross as a strong masculine man, this is evident from the curves from His muscles. From the general view of Christ on the cross portrait, Jacques Louis David has shown the pain and the difficult times that Jesus Christ was going through His crucifixion. It is evident that Jesus was crucified on a wooden cross and nails were used to crucify Him. Also from this portrait, Jacques Louis David shows that Jesus was crucified a distance from a town that is in the background of the portrait. Christ on the Cross portrait has dimensions of 276 x 188 cm. It was painted on canvas using oil.

The Crucifixion is another artwork related to Christ on the Cross. The Crucifixion is also a religious painting by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, that was painted back in the year 1809. The Crucifixion portrait has a dimension of 287 x 179 cm and the style used is neoclassicism.