The crowning of thorns

the sacred
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about the sacredJesus Christ, in the centre of the painting, is lying on a chair, his face shows the signs if his suffering, his body is emaciated and only partly covered by a cloak. Behind him, an executioner is forcefully placing the crown of thorns on his head, while the other executioner is giving him a cane , symbol of death. This cane will be used with a sponge soaked with vinegar to relieve his thirst during the Passion. On the left there is a soldier, lying on the floor holding a long spear in his hands, this is the weapon that will stab Jesus Christ in his ribs.
The painter Giovanni da Monte, was born in Monte Cremasco, he worked throughout the second half of the XVI century. His style is contaminated by Cremona’s lively spirit, moreover he was particularly inspired by another painter of the area, Antonio Campi, this is especially evident in the dark scenery of his work.

Colour ranges

The prevailing colours in the painting are black and the darkest shades of brown. Only Christ’s body and some details on the executioners show some chiaroscuro. The red cloak and the blue executioner’s vest on the right stand out.

Analysis of light

The setting is characterised by the darkness of the night emphasising the drama of the scene, there is only a dim lantern on the left giving a faint light to the painting. The light evenly illuminates Jesus’s body, but only some details of the executioners are weakly lit up.

Study of the composition

The wise chiaroscuro and the very well thought out placement of the characters, positioned laterally as if they were framing Jesus Christ, make of him the sturdy and undisputed protagonist of the scene. A diagonal line divides the painting into two parts. Three of the characters are positioned on this line. There are also two different chromatic spots: the blue one in contrast to the black one defining the division in two halves: the former full the latter empty.

Giovanni da Monte last quarter of the XVI century oil on canvas 180x115 cm