Christ Carrying the Cross (Titian)

Christ Carrying the Cross

Artist	Titian or Giorgione
Year	c. 1508-1509
Type	Oil on canvas
Dimensions	71 cm × 91 cm (28 in × 36 in)
Location	Scuola Grande di San Rocco, Venice

Christ Carrying the Cross (also Ecce Homo) an oil painting attributed to the Italian Renaissance master Titian or Giorgione. It is located in the Scuola Grande di San Rocco in Venice, Italy.

History

The painting is mentioned in several historical documents, since it has been the subject of veneration and devotion, due to its alleged miraculous properties.^[1] It was originally located in the church of San Rocco, annexed to the eponymuous Scuola where it is now, although it is unknown if it was on a pillar near the high altar or in a side chapel.^[2]

The attribution of the work has been disputed since the very 16th century: Giorgio Vasari in both the first (1550) and second (1658) edition of his Lives assigns it to Giorgione and Titian at the same time. Further, both Titian and Giorgione had relationships with the guild which held the church and the Scuola; Giorgione was a friend of painter Vincenzo Catena, a member of the guild.^[3]

The work's composition inspired numerous painters in Veneto and Lombardy, such as Lorenzo Lotto, Giovanni Bellini and Andrea Solario.^[4]

Description

Jesus is portrayed with a cross on his shoulder, on a dark background, while an executioner is holding a noose on his neck. At the side are two secondary figures. Jesus, with a doleful expression, is looking towards the seer. The profile of the executioner and of the side figures were perhaps inspired by Leonardo da Vinci's drawings, which would be part of Venetian collections at the time.^[2] Although the model of Christ Carrying the Cross was not uncommon in Venetian art at the time, this painting follows a different pattern, taken from German or northern European examples.^[5]

The painting features elements which were typical of both Titian and Giorgione: the sfumato contour of the figures and the not homogeneous colors were common in the latter's works, while the robustness of the characters and their active participation to the event (differently than the quasi-dreaming contemplation of Giorgione) are a Titian feature^[6]..

References

1. ^ Boschini, Marco (1674). Le ricche miniere della pittura veneziana. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Sassu, G. (2004). Giorgione. I capolavori. Milan. 
3. ^ __. Storia dell'Arte. Einaudi. 
4. ^ Fregolent, Alessandra (2001). Giorgione. Milan: Electa. pp. 114–115. ISBN 88-8310-184-7. 
5. ^ Quintavalle, A.C. (15 March 1993). "Quando Tiziano voltò le spalle alla luce di Giorgione". Corriere della Sera. 
6. ^ Fregolent, Alessandra (2001). Giorgione. Milan: Electa. pp. 110, 114. ISBN 88-8310-184-7.