Abraham Janssen's Lamentation Of Christ

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Abraham Janssen van Nuyssen is a Flemish painter who apprenticed in Antwerp under Jan Snellinck. Janssen also spent time in Italy, most notably Rome, as a pupil to Dutch painter Willem van Nieulandt (Auwera, p. 1). Janssen is known for painting historical, religious, and mythological subjects (Auwera, p. 1) Despite having a relatively small body of work, one of Janssen’s most famous works includes Lamentation of Christ (Auwera, p. 3). Painted between 1600 and 1604 using oil on panel, Lamentation of Christ can be considered a Baroque style painting due to both the date and Janssen’s technique, however Italian Renaissance influences from Janssen’s time in Italy are also present. Lamentation of Christ depicts Jesus Christ after he is removed from the cross being mourned by the Virgin Mary and his followers. Lamentation of Christ show both the change and continuity of style in art during the transition from Renaissance to Baroque. A clear transition from Renaissance influence to the new Baroque style is clear in the form of the work. In …show more content…

This deeply emotional painting shows the Virgin Mary cradling Jesus Christ, surrounded by three other people: Mary Magdalene, John the Evangelist, and the third Mary (the mother of the apostle James the Lesser). Jesus Christ is resting upon the linen that would later be used for his burial. The background of the painting shows the bases of the crosses used to crucify Jesus Christ, however these a shrouded in the darkness of the red and black sky, suggesting the turmoil felt during and after the crucifixion. In the bottom, left corner of the painting, several warped nails are depicted after being removed from the body of Christ. The nails represent one of the “instruments of the passion” because they are an important part of the crucifixion and represent Jesus Christ’s

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