The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1890-11-13
MY rAvoRITE POET
The cruelasion Of Christ IN Art.

The death OF Christ or the cross has appealed
10 the ambition or nearly every great artist.
And there never has been so much prejudice to
the illustration oil thu terrible scene by the
brush as by the slage9 Where tho Passion
Play" would not $50 tolerated rs exhibiting the
suffering Of Cbrist anl. its attendant persons
and scenes by living beings and bona iide weap-
ous, wood. stones. etc. painting setting forth
ali these most ealisticallY has been welcomed.
The earliest prcseniation of the crueifxion
in artistic way is n miniature in the I.au-
rantian Library az kl1Fonee. IL is In a Syrian
EvangalaFium. We @ouid rank il as so rude
We may class It witt tho grotesque. Both sun
and moon are visible. Christ's head Is wrapped
in uimbus and the body clothed in a long pur-
pie robe. The soldiers arc casting lots for his
fament.
NJ. Gerons painted tho SHADOW OF the
Cross" II was on exhibition for time at
Goupil's in New York. IL proposed to give to
sightseers scene Of the eruciiiXion with the
crucihxion omitted. The idea was stolen from
Holman Hunt Gerome shadows three crosses
on hillside, the crosses casting tho shadows
being invisible. We see Jerusalem, and Cal.
vary and some Roman soldiers. 1t was painted
in six weeks and was intended to anlicipato
Hunts, the result of six years toll. While
Hunts was not pronounced success, GerOme s
Was a clap-trap. The effect of the Frenchmaus
work was too suggestive OF the stage, too real
Of a studio. II seemed moro 10 for histrionic
Bhift-gcene nj passion play than for a cultured
gallery OF art. The crucidxion is a subject too
| grand, too solemn, too weighty in Significance,
] too dear 20 the grcat'mass of mankind t. allow
| of any cheap work in artistic representation.
| An idea seized the mind Of tho artist Holman
| Hunt To represent tho crucifxion by shsdow
| lie shows us Christ in the carpenter-shop Mt
! Nazareth, resting from the saving Of a plank
| The name Of the picture IS, The Shadow of
| Death" IL has been severely criticized, but
| with that we are not now concerned. Jesus
| stands between the arrays streaming in from
! the window at near shutdown, in tho attitude
| of extending his arms rs If in effort to rest
! from the laberHg position. Light comes hi
| from an arched window in such cluster and
| from such direction ns 10 form sort of halo
about the head Of Christ. Mary, the mother
! Of Jesus, just then looks up, her eyes cast on
tho western wall Of the shop, when she hcholds
the shadow Of Christ, it itself cross shaped and
the head in auTeulc piece of timber, fas,
tened TO the wall, for hanging up tools etc
| chances to be at ust that spot where II could
receive the shadow Of Christ's extended arms
| This was rather prophecy in art of the cruci-
fixiou than a scene of tho yeFitable tragedy
The artist worked diligently on his painting
for "a halfdozen years. To make it more
effective he visited Jerusalem, Calvary, etc.
hIlais painted the crucidxiOn scene very
effectively.
The history Of art In connection with the
tragic end of Christ's life would show what
hold Christs death has the world. And
while preaching Christ cruched has had
wonderful power in advancing his kingdom, il
would be interesting indeed 20 know wha
effect art has had in interesting the world il
behalf Of the Great Sufferer. II is certain W.
cannot leave out art as ono of the dynamic
making for the incoming of tho Cruciied.
We find the cyeiean appropriate truth mort
effectively than tho car as 10 all but sounds
Hence the prevalence in didactics of what i
known rs oLjest-tnaehing, method of in
strnction now insisted on in all pedagog
training. The brush, then, for Christ, as wei
as the pen-paint as we'll as ink Bnt grea
subjects demand great operators No amateu
painter should make the crucihxon "A mer
practice. DO not attempt that scene till y0t
are masters Of art