Pensive Christ

Pensive Christ
Pensive Christ by Władysław Skoczylas
Pensive Christ, at Saint Sigsmunt Church in Szydlowiec
Thinker of Hamangia, c. 5000 B.C.

The Pensive Christ or Christus im Elend ("Christ in Distress" in German) is a subject in Christian iconography depicting a contemplating Jesus, sitting with his head supported by his hand with the Crown of Thorns and marks of his flagellation. It is therefore a picture of Jesus shortly before his crucifixion, although more an andachtsbilder or devotional subject than intended to show an actual moment in the narrative of the Passion of Christ. The Pensive Christ is much more common in sculpture than in painting, where the similar Man of Sorrows is more often depicted (in this Jesus is shown with the wounds of the crucifixion).

Contents

Development of the image

Similar images are known fron Neolithic sculptures in Europe, dating several thousand years before Christ. [1] The first known depictions of the Pensive Christ occur in northern German sculptures from the latter half of the 14th century, taking a pose already found in paintings of the preparations for the crucifixion, where Jesus sits in thought as the soldiers work to raise the cross. Before this the pose had been used for the figure of Job in Distress, according to typology one of the prefigurements of Christ.[2] Art historians link its appearance with the Devotio Moderna (Latin for "modern devotion"), which stressed the human nature of Jesus, a model for the faithful to follow. The image became especially popular in Silesia and Pomerania, and then Poland and Lithuania[3], where it became strongly entrenched in folk art wood carvings by dievdirbiai (Lithuanian folk carvers; example below).

A related image, the Herrgottsruh ("Repose of the Lord" in German), does not have the chin resting on a hand; Christ sits, often with hands crossed in his lap. This appeared in Italian painting at the end of the 14th century, and soon spread to sculpture in southern Germany and Austria.[4]

The Thinker by Auguste Rodin has a similar pose, and may be based on the traditional sculptures.

Gallery

  • Job, in his traditional pose, by Albrecht Dürer

  • German Herrgottsruh

  • 16th century sculpture from the Jura

  • "Rupintojelis" shrine in Lithuania

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Gimbutas, Marija. "The 'Sorrowful God'". The Goddesses and Gods of Old Europe 6500-3500 B.C. Myths and Cult Images. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press. pp. 230–234. ISBN 0520046552. "There are figures of a squatting or seated man on a stool or a throne; his arms either rest peacefully on his lap, or they are propped on his knees to provide a support for his head...the facial expression...imply contemplation and worry" 
  2. ^ Schiller, 84-85
  3. ^ "Rupintojelis- Worrying Christ Statue". http://sydneyadelaidetuntas.com/Rupintojelis.pdf. Retrieved 2008-06-22. 
  4. ^ Schiller, 73

References

  • Schiller, Gertrud; Iconography of Christian Art, Vol. II,1972 (English trans from German), Lund Humphries, London, ISBN 853313245

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Christ (disambiguation) — Christ is a title given to Jesus of Nazareth, in his role as the Messiah in Christian theology. Contents 1 In Christianity 2 In art 2.1 Music …   Wikipedia

  • Andachtsbilder — Geertgen tot Sint Jans, Dutch, 1486, 25 x 24 cm.[1] Andachtsbilder (singular Andachtsbild, German for devotional image) is a German term often used in English in art history (sometimes ignoring that in German it is a plural form) for Chris …   Wikipedia

  • Depiction of Jesus — The oldest surviving panel icon of Christ Pantocrator, encaustic on panel, c. 6th century. The depiction of Jesus in art took several centuries to reach a conventional standardized form for his physical appearance, which has subsequently remained …   Wikipedia

  • Art in Roman Catholicism — Roman Catholic art consists of all visual works produced in an attempt to illustrate, supplement and portray in tangible form the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. This includes sculpture, painting, mosaics, metalwork, embroidery and even… …   Wikipedia

  • Bangor Cathedral — from Bangor Mountain Bangor Cathedral is an ancient place of Christian worship situated in Bangor, Gwynedd, north west Wales. It is dedicated to its founder, Saint Deiniol. The site of the present building of Bangor Cathedral has been in use as a …   Wikipedia

  • Gothic art — This article is about Gothic art. See also Gothic architecture Gothic art was a Medieval art movement that lasted about 200 years. It began in France out of the Romanesque period in the mid 12th century, concurrent with Gothic architecture found… …   Wikipedia

  • Dievdirbys — (plural: dievdirbiai, literally: god carvers) are Lithuanian wood carvers who create statues of Jesus and the Christian saints.[1] The art is closely related to kryždirbystė (cross carving), listed among Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible… …   Wikipedia

  • South Asian arts — Literary, performing, and visual arts of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. Myths of the popular gods, Vishnu and Shiva, in the Puranas (ancient tales) and the Mahabharata and Ramayana epics, supply material for representational and… …   Universalium

  • Mosaic — This article is about a decorative art. For other uses, see Mosaic (disambiguation). Irano Roman floor mosaic detail from the palace of Shapur I at Bishapur …   Wikipedia

  • painting, Western — ▪ art Introduction       history of Western painting from its beginnings in prehistoric times to the present.       Painting, the execution of forms and shapes on a surface by means of pigment (but see also drawing for discussion of depictions in …   Universalium

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”