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Course: Medieval Europe + Byzantine > Unit 10
Lesson 5: Gothic art in ItalyFrom transcendent to human: The Crucifixion c. 1200
Christ Triumphant (Christus triumphans), also known as the 432 Cross, tempera on panel, c. 1180–1200, 277 x 231 cm and Crucifix and Eight Stories from the Passion (Christus patiens), also known as the 434 Cross, c. 1240, tempera on panel, 247 x 201 cm (both in the Uffizi, Florence)
A conversation with Dr. Steven Zucker and Dr. Beth Harris. Created by Beth Harris, Smarthistory, and Steven Zucker.
Video transcript
(soft music) - [Man] We're in one
of the first galleries in the Uffizi, in Florence, looking at two crucifixion scenes. These are large paintings. They're tempera on panel. And there's an important
distinction between them, even though they're both
late medieval paintings. - [Woman] One is late 12th, the
other is early 13th century. So we're at this transitional
moment in Italian painting. - [Man] The earlier of the
two paintings is a Christ Triumphant. Christ is shown on a cross, but perhaps surprising for modern viewers. His eyes are open and he looks fine. There is no sense of pain. There is the smallest stylized
representation of blood and he's on a cross, but he
looks as if he's perfectly well. - [Woman] We have this idea, which is central to
Christianity that Christ, triumphs over death. He dies on the cross,
but he is resurrected. He lives again, just as
in Christian theology, we will, assuming we get to heaven. - [Man] It's as if the spiritual, has completely triumphed
over the physical, but an amazing change takes
place within just a few decades of this painting. An increasing emphasis of
Christ as physical, as human. And one of the expressions of that, is the rise of the Franciscans, the mendicant order that
emphasized to Christ's humanity. - [Woman] St. Francis himself, miraculously acquires the
wounds of the crucifixion. And so we have this renewed
interest in Christ's suffering, and we see that very clearly, here, the blood drips down from Christ's wounds, in a way that looks much
more like real blood. - [Man] But his body also
references suffering. His eyes are closed. His brow is net. It seems as if he's enduring great pain, his body is swayed. So that there's a sense of
gravity pulling at his body. - [Woman] The other interesting
thing about both of these, we have what we call apron scenes. These are these small narrative scenes, on either side that
tells some of the stories from the life of Christ. - [Man] And in the Triumphant Christ, these are red from top
to bottom, left to right. So the scenes are Christ washing
the feet of the apostles. - [Woman] And then next we have, the kiss of Judas when
Judas identifies Christ to the Roman soldiers who
will arrest him and try him and ultimately crucify him. - [Man] The Flagellation, which
is the whipping of Christ, the torture of Christ.
- [Woman] And then of course, because of the central main
scene is the crucifixion. We skip over that, and we go to what happens
after, which is the deposition, the taking of Christ's
body down from the cross. - [Man] Then we have the
lamentation, the Virgin Mary, who seems to be kissing
the cheek of her son, just as he's being placed into the tomb. So this could also be
referred to as an Entombment. - [Woman] And then, a
scene of the resurrection, which is really the whole point, this idea of triumphing over death. - [Man] This radical change
in the representation of Christ on the cross in
just a very few decades, is an indicator, of a growing interest, in representing a spiritual vision, that humans can understand
it in a more direct way. - [Woman] That we can sympathize with, that we can through prayer, imagine what Christ felt and in that way, become closer to God. (soft music)