''The Crucifixion'' is a

tempera Tempera (), also known as egg tempera, is a permanent, fast-drying painting medium consisting of colored pigments mixed with a water-soluble binder medium, usually glutinous material such as egg yolk. Tempera also refers to the paintings done ...

painting by

Andreas Pavias Andreas Pavias ( el, Ανδρέας Παβίας 1440-1504/1512) was a Greek painter and educator. He was one of the founding fathers of the Cretan School, and his works influenced countless artists both Italian and Greek; paintings by Pavias coul ...

, who was active in

Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and ...

during the second half of the 15th century and is considered part of the

Cretan School Cretan School describes an important school of icon painting, under the umbrella of post-Byzantine art, which flourished while Crete was under Venetian rule during the late Middle Ages, reaching its climax after the Fall of Constantinople, becom ...

. It is now in the

National Gallery of Greece The National Gallery ( el, Εθνική Πινακοθήκη, ''Ethniki Pinakothiki'') is an art museum located on Vasilissis Sofias avenue in the Pangrati district, Athens, Greece. It is devoted to Greek and European art from the 14th century ...

. The painting influenced countless arts.

Georgios Klontzas Georgios Klontzas ( el, Γεώργιος Κλώντζας, 1535-1608) also known as George Klontzas and Zorzi Cloza dito Cristianopullo. He was a scholar, painter, and manuscript illuminator. He is one of the most influential artists of the post-B ...

Emmanuel Lambardos Emmanuel Lampardos ( el, Εμμανουήλ Λαμπάρδος, 1567 –1631), also known as Emmanouil Lampardos and Manolitzis. He was a Cretan Renaissance painter. Emmanuel and his nephew Emmanuel Lampardos have been very difficult to dis ...

Ioannis Moskos Ioannis Moskos ( el, Ιωάννης Μόσκος; 1635-44 – 1721) was a Greek painter that migrated to Venice. Two other very famous painters with the name Moskos were active around the same period Elias Moskos and Leos Moskos. Leos Moskos ...

created similar works. Pavias introduced multiple figures to his Crucifixion.

began to employ a similar method in his famous work ''In Thee Rejoiceth''. A work that was emulated by

Theodore Poulakis Theodore Poulakis ( el, Θεόδωρος Πουλάκης; 1622–1692) was a Greek Renaissance painter and teacher. He is considered the father of the Heptanese School and one of the most prolific painters of Venetian Crete. Poulakis was a me ...

and

Franghias Kavertzas Frantzeskos or Franghias Kavertzas ( el, Φραντζέσκος Καβερτζάς, 1590/1600-1648) was a Greek painter. His painting style resembles the late Cretan School or early Greek Baroque period. His work was influenced by Georgios Klo ...

. The painting exhibited characteristics of the traditional

maniera greca Italo-Byzantine is a style term in art history, mostly used for medieval paintings produced in Italy under heavy influence from Byzantine art. It initially covers religious paintings copying or imitating the standard Byzantine icon types, but pa ...

and the

Venetian style Venetian Gothic is the particular form of Italian Gothic architecture typical of Venice, originating in local building requirements, with some influence from Byzantine architecture, and some from Islamic architecture, reflecting Venice's tradin ...

Description

The work is egg

on wood with dimensions of 83.5 cm x 59 cm. It was created in the late 15th century and depicts the

Crucifixion of Jesus Christ The crucifixion and death of Jesus occurred in 1st-century Judea, most likely in AD 30 or AD 33. It is described in the four canonical gospels, referred to in the New Testament epistles, attested to by other ancient sources, and consider ...

. It shows influences of Late Gothic realism but follows the lines of the traditional

. Jesus is on the cross which has the classic Greek inscription IC and XC. Angles are collecting his blood into cups. Above the cross is a white bird with a long neck. At the bottom of the cross, a woman embraces the cross with a very sad face. The Virgin is the second most important figure in the painting. She is very upset. She is held up preventing her from falling. At the very bottom of the image are a skull and demons. A similar section exists in the Crucifixions of

and

Theophanes the Cretan Theophanis Strelitzas ( el, Θεοφάνης Στρελίτζας 1490–1559), also known as Theophanes the Cretan (, pronounced ''Theophanes O Krees'') or Theophanes Bathas () was a Greek painter of icons and frescos in the style of the Cretan ...

. There are also angels behind the cross. The figure on our right or to the left of Jesus on the cross is the

Impenitent thief The impenitent thief is a man described in the New Testament account of the Crucifixion of Jesus. In the Gospel narrative, two criminal bandits are crucified alongside Jesus. In the first two Gospels (Matthew and Mark), they both join the crowd ...

and he is turned around. A similar figure is in Crucifixion paintings by

and

. There is also a dark figure above the cross of the

in the Pavias. There is a huge group gathered for the historic event. The scene is very complicated due to the number of figures. He is one of the first Greek-style painters to begin to employ countless figures. The technique was later duplicated by

in both ''The Last Judgment'' and ''In Thee Rejoiceth''. More painters began to use the multi-figuring technique.

Leos Moskos Leo or Leos Moskos ( el, Λέος Μόσκος, 1620/30 – 1690) was a painter and educator. There were two other painters named Moskos active around the same period, Elias Moskos and Ioannis Moskos, who may have been his relatives. Indeed, L ...

also painted many figures in their similar renditions of both Pavias and

work. Pavias like

Angelos Akotantos Angelos Akotantos (Greek: Άγγελος Ακοτάντος 1390-1457) was a Greek painter, educator, and protopsaltis. He painted in the Byzantine style or maniera greca. He represented the transition from the Byzantine style of painting to the m ...

was considered a

Cretan Renaissance Cretan School describes an important school of icon painting, under the umbrella of post-Byzantine art, which flourished while Crete was under Venetian rule during the late Middle Ages, reaching its climax after the Fall of Constantinople, becom ...

master. Many artists adopted the new style that the early masters developed into their own works. Pavias influenced both Greek and Italian painters and is considered one of the forefathers of the

Gallery

File:CretanCrucifixion.jpg, Crucifixion

File:Crucifixion by Theophanes the Cretan.jpg, Crucifixion

File:Crucifixion by I.Moskos (1711).jpg,

Crucifixion Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the victim is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross or beam and left to hang until eventual death from exhaustion and asphyxiation. It was used as a punishment by the Persians, Carthagin ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crucifixion 15th-century paintings Paintings in Greece Cretan Renaissance paintings