''The Green Christ'' (in French: ''Le Christ vert'') is an oil on canvas painting executed by

Paul Gauguin Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin (, ; ; 7 June 1848 – 8 May 1903) was a French Post-Impressionist artist. Unappreciated until after his death, Gauguin is now recognized for his experimental use of colour and Synthetist style that were distinct fr ...

in the Autumn of 1889 in

Pont-Aven Pont-Aven (, Breton: 'River Bridge') is a commune in the Finistère department in the Brittany region in Northwestern France. In 2019, it had a population of 2,821. Demographics Inhabitants of Pont-Aven are called ''Pontavenistes'' in French ...

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period ...

. Together with '' The Yellow Christ'', it is considered to be one of the key-works of Symbolism in painting. It depicts a Breton woman at the foot of a

calvary Calvary ( la, Calvariae or ) or Golgotha ( grc-gre, Γολγοθᾶ, ''Golgothâ'') was a site immediately outside Jerusalem's walls where Jesus was said to have been crucified according to the canonical Gospels. Since at least the early medie ...

, or sculpture of Christ's crucifixion. Calvaries are common in town squares in Brittany. The woman appears to be hiding from a pair of figures in the distant background; the green Christ providing her cover from these people. Topographically, the site depicted is the Atlantic coast at Le Pouldu. But the calvary depicted is an amalgam of several calvaries from different places; the cross is based upon that in the centre of

Névez Névez (; ) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France. ''Nevez'' means "new" in Breton. The name is thought to have arisen when Trégunc was split in two, creating a new parish. Population Inhabitants of Né ...

, a community close to

, located several miles from the coast, and the figure of Christ is based upon the calvarie at

Briec Briec (, formerly ''Briec-de-l'Odet''; br, Brieg) is a commune in the Finistère department in the region of Brittany in north-western France. Sights * Calvary at Saint-Vennec, (1556) *Chapelle de la Madeleine, 16th century *Chapelle de Sainte- ...

, also at some distance from the sea.Catherine Puget,'' Peintres de la Bretagne et quête spirituelle'', Musée de Pont Aven, 2006 (French), pp. 9, 25, 48

References

Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and relig ...

1889 paintings Paintings of the Descent from the Cross Paintings about death Christian art about death Collections of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium Paintings about sculpture {{19C-painting-stub

See also

References