Crucifixion

This extraordinary painting by Tintoretto is a true feast for the eyes, with every part of this huge canvas filled with activity and drama.

This huge panel painting can be found at the Scuola Grande di San Roco and is amongst their finest piece. Tintoretto completed Crucufixion in 1565, by which time he had developed as an artist and was approaching his peak. An inexperienced artist would probably not have had the confidence to take on a project such as this, when considering its prominence with the venue and also its mammoth size.

The complex composition features a panorama of Golgotha and features a huge number of figures from the original biblical description, including soldiers, executioners, horsemen and apostles. The artist accurately captures the emotions of this moment on the faces of his subjects and delivers a powerful scene.

The theme of the crucifixion can be found in almost every Renaissance artist's career, often on several occasions. The topic is so significant within Christianity that is cannot be avoided by artists looking to earn commissioned pieces around their local area.

Many of the Renaissance masters were skilled in multiple disciplines and could attack this theme from several angles. Michelangelo famously produced a crucifixion statue and then repeated the topic in fresco form. Others from this era and afterwards to have covered the crucifixion include Albrecht Durer, Theodore Gericault, Sebastiano del Piombo and Andrea del Verrocchio.