Non-Astro Arty Farty Friday ~ The Crucifixion

As it's Good Friday, as well as Arty Farty Friday, it's only right to mark the day with appropriate artwork.

I'm not a religious individual, but I do believe that the man we know as Jesus lived once, preached peace and forgiveness, and was executed for his efforts. His words must have been inspirational to the masses in a way the Roman occupiers would not appreciate, being fearful of losing their control of the population. So, though I am not one with the rest of Christian belief, Good Friday is not without relevance for me.

Artists through the ages have left us countless interpretations of the Crucifixion of Jesus. Two I appreciate most are:

The Darkness at the Crucifixion by Gustave Doré



and Salvador Dali's Christ of Saint John of the Cross .





Among my husband's early artwork, from what he calls his "religious period", mid 1950s, early 1960s, there are one or two depictions of the Crucifixion. I have his permission to show these, along with some of his words:

The "religious" period popped up from time to time. I can only remember thinking that colors alone had emotional qualities. Orange, I felt, was stressful, painful.

I probably thought at the time that these were entirely unique themes.

The Graveyard

Once, in a cemetery, I stood looking into the sunrise. Through the morning mist, light and shadow, some of the markers and trees seemed to be a Biblical scene instead of what it really was: a bunch of ancient head stones and monuments.

Crucifix à la Tales from the Crypt

I think I learned to draw from copying illustrations in pulp magazines that were plentiful in the 50's decade. My biggest ambition then was to become a cartoonist or illustrator so most of my work was in pencil or ink on scraps of white card.