Description
Spanish school; 17th century. "The Scourging of Jesus". Oil on canvas. It presents faults and repainting. Measurements: 155 x 109 cm; 173 x 125 cm (frame). This canvas deals with the theme of the flagellation of Christ, developing in a complex architectural space, opening to different levels through windows and balconies. Thus, following a compositional scheme in the Italian tradition, the Flemish influence can also be seen in the spatial concept, but also in the proximity to local developments. Christ, tied to a low column, is being scourged by several henchmen, whose movement has been frozen in aggressive and inclement gestures. Inner light seems to emanate from Jesus' anatomy, his whiteness being a transcript of the purity of his soul, in contrast to the dark flesh of the executioners. The narrative of the scene unfolds on different planes, as the gazes and expressive grammar of each character reveal their thoughts in the face of the injustice they are witnessing. In terms of iconography, all four Gospels mention the punishment suffered by Christ at this moment, although they make no reference to any pillar: this iconography arises from the word "chastisement" used by Luke, and was known as a moment prior to the Crucifixion in the words of Josephus, for example. Throughout the Middle Ages the column venerated in Jerusalem was used for these representations, characterised by its height. There is another typology, however, which closely follows the model of the relic preserved in Santa Praxedes in Rome since 1233 and which the Council of Trent was responsible for recovering for art, characterised precisely by the marble in which it is made and by its low height. This model of column, which does not deny the previous one as theologians recognise two moments in which Christ was flaged, was used in art from the end of the 16th century, coexisting with the high one, and spread rapidly throughout Europe.
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