Christianity, a common heritage of the west, was culturally unifying. Thus many artists using the support of the church created history paintings about stories in the Bible. History paintings were at the top of the hierarchy of painting. Thus scenes, like the ascension of Christ became a popular subject matter. One of the qualities of history painting is that they are not copied like a still life. Each painter can narrate these stories a certain way, and create different emphasis using value, color, space, and line. These paintings were not made to pretend that they are recording a historical event; they were primarily made to convey a theological concept. The ascension of Christ is one of the major events in the life of Jesus, along with his death and resurrection. It is also a piece that provides hope. We live in a world that is full of suffering and the ascension gives us hope for the life that is to come. It gives us hope for physical redemption, for a world where there is no death and pain. Until then we can only gaze at the one who is making a way for us to follow him. Hans Süss von Kulmbach, Rembrandt, Perugino, Giotto, and Dali all choose to depict their version of this scene and give their own interpretations about the ascension even though they create during different times.
The Ascension of Christ (1636)
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn
26.89 x 36.49 inch, oil on canvas
Private collection
Rembrandt uses color, value, line and space to direct our eyes to the ascending Christ. Christ who is bathing in golden light which is contrasted with inky darkness, typical of the baroque style. This is an example of using the chiaroscuro technique, which creates the illusion of volume with the use of light and dark value. The only thing that is higher and more glorious than Christ is the Holy Spirit represented as a dove. However the light that is emanating from the Holy Spirit bounds them together, and raises them above all other creatures. It seems as if those squatting in darkness only play a visual role. The light barely reaches them. They are filling negative space and their gazes create implied lines that aid the emphasis on Christ. The viewer can not help but contemplate the incarnate glory and light of God, which is Christ himself.
The Ascension of Christ (1505 - 1510)
Pietro Perugino
266 x 332.5 cm, oil
Cathedral of Sansepolcro
“Christ is portrayed within an almond hovering at the top center of the panel, surrounded by flying or playing angels.” Emphasis is created through the use of space, implied lines and hieratic scale. Perguino uses color and value to create unity. Mary seems to be playing an important role along with Christ. She is not as important as Christ, but she is more significant than the angels. The emphasis on Mary seems significant, as she is standing alone in the middle of the painting. Jesus’ gaze directs us back to her as they mutually create implied lines pointing towards each other. The disciples are portrayed with their particularities.
Perugino anticipates the viewer to join the crowd, and contemplate our role in the Church.
We are visually directed to realize the centrality of Mary and Christ along with the fact that Christ is set apart from all other creatures.
The Ascension of Christ (1513)
Hans Süss von Kulmbach,
24 1⁄4 x15 inch oil on fir.
MET
Kulmbach uses space and implied lines to create emphasis on Jesus’ bare feet. However Jesus’ ascension in this case might not be about him. After all, Kulmbach is hiding Jesus from the viewer. This painting was a part of a Marian altarpiece. Thus the context allows us to assume that this is more about Mary rather than Christ. “Her importance in the history of salvation is stressed through the portrayal of carefully selected events. A complete, continuous narrative of the Life of the Virgin is not to be found in this small altarpiece; instead there is a Marian cycle which manifests all the most important mariological doctrines within their essential christological framework. The unique position of the Virgin, already recognized as "God Bearer" in the early Christian Church and thus accorded hyperdulia, or veneration above all other saints, resulted in especially picturesque accounts in the Apocrypha, which offered artists a rich treasury of images.”
L'Ascensione (1305)
Giotto di Bondone
78.7 x 72.8 inch, fresco
Scrovegni (Arena) Chapel, Padua, Italy
This is a part of a collection of paintings about Christ’s life in an Italian chapel. Giotto is creating emphasis with the use of negative space and hieratic scale. Unlike Kulmbach, who only depicted Jesus’ human feet. Giotto is concealing Jesus’ feet in a cloud. He is surrounded by a golden halo, which emphasizes his divinity over his humanity. The angels and the saints are all very condensed, sharing a shallow and flat space. This takes away from their importance. We are one of them. We are drawn to worship the way that they are, realizing that Jesus is greater than we are. Jesus also looks determined to get to heaven, not even looking back at his disciples. It almost seems like he is in a hurry. The saints are only significant because of his accomplished work on the cross, and now we must hope with them in his return.
Ascension (1958)
Salvador Dali
45.27 x 48.4252 inch, oil, canvas
Private Collection
Dali does what no one else has done. He depicts the ascension from below. Just like Kulmbach we can only mostly see his feet. However we also see his hands that are gripping for power. His body is creating a triangle inside a circular shape. The Holy spirit is emanating his light on to Christ just like Rembrandt depicted, however the Spirit is much smaller and seems less significant than Christ. Dali anticipates a viewer and the viewer is directly under Christ’s feet. This makes us feel small, insignificant and left behind. A woman is waiting for Christ. Christ has been depicted with Mary in all of these paintings. However this woman does not look like Mary. Dali uses value and the contrast of light and dark to create emphasis similar to Rembrandt and yet achieves an entirely different atmosphere. Not one of reverence but rather fear.
References
www.wikiart.org. “The Ascension of Christ, 1505 - 1510 - Pietro Perugino - WikiArt.Org,” n.d. https://www.wikiart.org/en/pietro-perugino/the-ascension-of-christ-1510.
Smith, Jeffrey Chipps. “Gothic and Renaissance Art in Nuremberg, 1300-1550. Foreword by Philippe De Montebello and Gerhard Bott. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art; Nuremberg: Germanisches Nationalmuseum; Munich: Prestel-Verlag, 1986. Pp. 499; 562 Illustrations, with 148 in Color. $39.95 (Cloth); $29.95 (Paper).” Speculum 64, no. 1 (1989): 166–68. https://doi.org/10.2307/2852212.
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