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Jesus
100cm H
x 70cm W
About a year ago I started to paint victims of political assaults due to the deadly attack by a Muslim on Theo van Gogh. At first it was easy Theo van Gogh, Pim Fortuyn, the Kennedy brothers, the Palestinian people( This might be a hard one for you, but not for me) but next.
Tell me a political victim who's name echo's in your mind, in my mind? Dr. Martin Luther King? No not really. There is one political victim way back in time, who's name echo's through history. In whose name war's have been fought. In whose name men and women dedicate their live in good. But also in bad. A man with an immense impact in our live and our way of living.
Jesus of Nazareth.
Was He a political victim?
One thing was for sure. He was a real pain in the butt for the Jewish establishment in those days and in those days it was perhaps just a minor occasion an unknown man in his time, so was Vincent van Gogh when he died and who is he nowadays. Jesus of Nazareth is historical of an influence the most influential figure of all time's from the western prospective. Erasmus, Descartes, Goethe you name it all philosophers have their roots in their Christian believes.
A main part of that believes is the crucifixion of Christ.
But what do we know about crucifixion the only thing the Bible tells us about it is: They crucified Him. In those days it was not needed to explain crucifixion it was a common way of execution and believe me once you have seen it you will for ever know. But in the fourth century one Roman Empire forbade crucifixion for being to inhumane.
The Dark Age’s followed and it all was forgotten and at some time the cross as symbol came to live the way it still is nowadays.
The four angled cross with Jesus hanging with pierced hands and outs treated legs and a title of INRI above his head.
It took 1900 years until a French Doctor, DR. Pierre Barbet wandered what was crucifixion? How was it done? What kind of suffering did the victim endure? What did the victim die from a medical point of view?
His report was done over by an American physician Dr. C. Truman Davis and a Dutch physician Prof. Dr. Bob Smalhout
My painting of the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth is based on these studies and my own research and artistic freedom for background, the upcoming storm, Gethsemane the olive yard, the tools at the bottom of the cross ,The form of the cross his height the anatomy of the body is as close as I can get.
The resources are Dr.Pierre Barbet
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/augustine/arch/barbet.html
Dr. C Truman Davis:
http://www.thecross-photo.com/Dr_C._Truman_Davis_Analyzes_the_Crucifixion.htm
Pr. Dr. Bob Smalhout.
Sorry his story is taken from the web. .
Price: Contact Artist
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Crucifixion of Jesus Christ
100cm H
x 70cm W
Crucifiction
The physical abuse of Jesus started that day early in the morning when he was brought before the highcounsil of priest the Sanhedrin, there the abuse starts with a blow in his face by a Jew (John 18:22).
Than they blindfolded him and beat him with fist (Marc 14:65).
His next beating he received when he was brought the second time before Pontius Pilate who had him flogged or scourged.
The bible says not much about it and unfortunately the report of Pr. Smalhout disappeared from the net so I will have to tell about it from my memory.
This flogging was done by strict procedure the victim was striped except for a piece of cloth to cover his manhood and his hands were tied above his head on a flogging pole.
The whip was called a flagrum a short heavy whip with two heavy leather thongs at the end of the thongs, they both had a ball of lead or a very hard sharp piece of bone.
The amount of beatings was bound to a maximum of as far as I can remember 30,
more floggings could be deadly and that was forbidden.
This beating caused severe wounds opening subcutaneous tissue causing heavy bleedings and heavy bruises much worse as seen on this painting.(I did not want to make this painting to horrible to watch.)
The middle of his chest is not brutalised by the whip because of the pole he was standing against.
After this terrible flogging he was mocked dressed as a Jewish king with a purple robe a sceptre and a crown was plaited from flexible twigs with long sharp thorns this basket was placed on his head and they patted on this crown with rods (Marc 15:19) inflicting heavy pain and very severe bleeding.
We all have seen head wounds and how they can bleed imagine the bleeding caused by so many long sharp thorns.
I imagine the bleeding was much worse than shown on this painting.
At the end of the mocking they took the purple robe off him. (marc 15:20)
Dr. Truman writes about that:
Finally, they tired of their sadistic sport and tore the robe from his back. The robe had already become adherent to the clots of blood and serum in the wounds ,and it's removal, just as in the careless removal of a surgical bandage caused excruciating pain. The wounds again began to bleed.
They returned his own cloth.
And the heavy patibulum was placed and tied across his already heavily bruised shoulders.
The procession is on his way through the narrow streets of Jerusalem first there is the Titelus then the three condemned men, The crowd yelling spitting throwing stones. Christ already beaten up at the Sanhedrin, scourged, heavily bleeding from his scalp where the heavy patibulum is pressing the thorns deeper into his scalp by every step. Is already in shock can he hear the scraping of the thorns over his skull?
The blood runs over his face into his eyes. He falls on his knees and probably on his face unable to protect his face because his hands are bound to the stibulus. The heavy stibulus in his neck made the fall even worse. Was his nose broken already by the beating in the house of the high priest? Well now he is broken almost for sure. Teeth broken, lips broozed, the patibulum almost broke his neck forcing the thorns even deeper into his scalp some thorns even broke.
The Romans feared for his live untied his arms and took the heavy patibulum of his shoulders, one bystander was ordered to carry the beam and forwards they went to Golgotha three stipes were waiting to end Jesus suffering in a dreadful happening
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Jesus
100cm H
x 70cm W
Olive trees
The only cheerful part of this painting .
Olive trees can become very old. Near Jerusalem olive trees can be found
hundreds years old even maybe thousand. I doubt if there are trees from the days
Jesus walked in this landscape.
Although palm seeds were found by recent excavations. 2000 years old which still
had the power to become plants.
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