Entry of Christ into Jerusalem

One of the earliest paintings from Anthony van Dyck, Entry of Christ into Jerusalem was completed when the artist was barely 18 years old

This scene captures Jesus entering Jerusalem which is traditionally celebrated on Palm Sunday. This is one of the most significant moments as written in the Gospels. Experts in religious scripture would find this painting to be pretty faithful to the original account. The balance between Christ and his ass suggests a tiring journey with their arrival met with excitement and celebration.

Christ still looks smart in his blue and crimson outfit, despite his long journey. The figure in the foreground bent over is laying branches on the path that he follows, one imagines in order to make the last stretch of his journey somewhat more comfortable. His disciples follow him with a look of both excitement and awe.

The bright colours remind us of Van Dyck's influence from Rubens, which was particularly strong during these early days of his career. Later on he would develop more of his own style, having also received inspiration from studying the work of Titian. One interesting aspect to this piece are the shear size of the figures, with just a few disciples dominating the scene and adding a feeling of drama and realism with it.

The large artwork is over two metres wide, measuring 229.2cm by 151cm tall. It can now be found in the Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis, USA. This gallery holds a good collection of art from a wide variety of art movements, with some of the highlights coming from Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Paul Gauguin, Katsushika Hokusai and Edward Hopper.