Crucifixion Diptych,Roger van der Weyden (c. 1399-1464)
Roger van der Weyden’s stark depiction of The Crucifixion forces the viewer to engage with the pathos of suffering. Two individual panels framed into a diptych portray the Crucifixion not as an historical scene but as an event that appears in a timeless devotional context. We lack the familiar narrative cues such as the hill of Golgotha, the two thieves or those standing at the base of the cross. Instead Roger emphasizes the intensity of the reactions of St John the Evangelist and Christ’s grieving mother. John leans forward to catch the Virgin as she collapses. Her eyes remain closed as if she can no longer bear the sight of the suffering her son must endure. The frame between the two panels separates the mother from her child. Roger uses this division to suggest a deeper spiritual bond which unites the desolate scenes. Both Mary’s head and Christ’s head fall downward like mirror images. It is as if this gentle bodily motion symbolizes the ineradicable union of mother and Son. The separation of the panels remind us that although we may be distant from the historical reality of Christ’s passion we, like the Virgin and the original viewer of this painting, can draw close to Christ when we identify with the suffering of all humanity.
Art Guide Resource
The 2013 Art Guide has been compiled by Claire Renkin, well-known Art Historian and Lecturer at Yarra Theological Union and narrated by Margaret Coffey. Margaret has a background in historical research, journalism, education and broadcasting including at the ABC. Artworks featured © Bridgeman Images.
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