https://artincontext.org/famous-religious-paintings/
https://altusfineart.com/blogs/news/35-professional-lds-paintings-of-jesus-christ
https://kuadros.com/en-us/blogs/news/las-pinturas-mas-famosas-de-jesus
Paintings
of
Jesus Christ
have occupieda prominent role
in
the art world
for
close
on 1500 years
Many commissions by the rich and wealthy all trying to prove their faith and muster influence with the church use Jesus Christ as the central role or theme.
Practically all of the renaissance masters have several of their famous works of art depicting either the crucifixion or some other important biblical scene that contains Christ.
These types of commissions in their day would have been extremely expensive and only the very rich and powerful could afford to undertake these kinds of works.
Famous Paintings of Jesus
1. The Last Supper
The most famous painting of Jesus Christ is without doubt the last supper.
Painted by none other than Leonardo da Vinci it depicts the last supper of Jesus Christ and the twelve apostles.
Painted in the late 15th century as a mural on the walls of the refectory of the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan.
Fresco paintings are usually created by applying pigment onto intonaco, or a thin layer of wet lime plaster.
Also Read: Easter Paintings
This is normally the best technique to use as it allows the fresco to deal with the natural breathing or sweating that a wall does as moisture moves out to the surface.
However, with the Last Supper da Vinci decide to use oil paint as it dries much slower and would allow him to work on the image in a much slower and more detailed manner.
Leonardo knew that the natural moisture that permeates through most stone wall buildings would have to be sealed if he were to use oil paints, or it would ruin his work.
He added a double coat of gesso, mastic, and pitch to fight this.
The artwork has had to be restored many times in its long history.
Very little of the initial top layer of oil painting is left as a consequence of both environmental and deliberate damage.
2. The Transfiguration
The transfiguration is the final work by the great renaissance artist Raphael that was commissioned by Cardinal Giulio de Medici of the Medici banking dynasty.
It was originally conceived as a alter piece that was to hang as the central altarpiece for the Narbonne Cathedral in France it now hangs in the Pinacoteca Vaticana in Vatican City.
Following Raphael’s death the painting was never sent to France and the Cardinal instead hung on the high altar in the Blessed Amadeo’s church of San Pietro in Montorio, Rome in 1523.
In 1797 however it was taken by French troops as part of Napoleon’s Italian campaign and subsequently hung in the Louvre.
The painting can be viewed as reflecting a dichotomy at the simplest level: the redemptive force of Christ, as symbolized by the purity and symmetry of the top half of the painting; as opposed to the shortcomings of Man, as symbolized in the bottom half of the painting by the gloomy, chaotic scenes.
It would be Raphael’s finally painting and he would work on it right up until his death in April 1520.
The cleaning of the painting from 1972 to 1976 showed that only some of the lower left figures were completed by assistants, while the majority of the painting was by Raphael himself.
3. The Last Judgment
The Last Judgment is a huge fresco painted by Michelangelo that adorns the entire alter wall in the Vatican City of the Sistine Chapel.
Between 1536 and 1541, it took Michelangelo over four years to complete because of not only its scale, but also the difficulty and number of figures.
25 years after the completion of the Sistine Chapel Ceiling, he began working on it and by the time it was finished, he was considerably old at 67 at that point.
All the males were initially painted as nudes, but the inclusion of painted draperies later covered them up.
The reception was originally mixed between praise and criticism, with the nudes being a big topic of debate as well as how muscular a number of the figures were.
Also Read: Famous Fresco Paintings
It is a reflection of Christ’s Second Coming and the ultimate and
everlasting judgment of all mankind by God.
As judged by Christ, who is surrounded by famous saints, the dead rise and descend to their destiny. There are more than 300 figures in total.
It was originally commissioned by Pope Clement VII, but it was completed under Pope Paul III, whose stronger reforming views undoubtedly influenced the final treatment.
From the beginning, the reception of the painting was mixed, with much praise but also criticism on both religious and artistic grounds.
One point of controversy was both the amount of nudity and the muscular design of the body, and another was the overall composition.
4. Christ Carrying the Cross by El Greco
El Greco created numerous paintings of Christ bearing the cross during his long career in Spain in roughly 1580.
Unlike some of his earlier works this piece is not a narrative one, Christ is alone in the image and no really background or setting is discernible.
The image portrays Christ as he bears the cross to his death in a moment of personal contemplation, thereby performing the greatest sacrifice for humanity.
The eyes of Christ are raised up to the heavens in the painting as he begins his walk toward his crucifixion. His gentle hands curl around the cross as the backdrop is filled by a stormy night.
Also Read: Nativity Paintings
El Greco as his name suggests was Greek and acquired the name while living in Italy during the Renaissance era, he worked under the
El Greco lived in Venice , Italy, and studied under Titian, one of Italy’s most famous Renaissance painters.
5. Christ Crucified by Diego Valazquez
Christ Crucified was painted in 1632 by Diego Velazquez.
Diego Velazquez was the official painter to the then king of Spain Philip IV and although he completed on a few religious painting this is actually one of his most famous works of art.
The painting depicts the crucifixion of Jesus in a very understated way when compared to some of his other works from the same period.
Also Read: Resurrection Paintings
Velazquez would make several nude studies when he spent time in Rome which he would use in some of his later works like Apollo at the Forge of Vulcan and Joseph’s Tunic.
With Christ Crucified however the image is much more minimalist and has a very paired down and respectful feel.
There is no supporting scene or any other people to focus on just a very raw ad bare full front on near life size nude painting.
Although there were preparatory siting doe with live models the actually painting is thought to have been completed back in Spain after he returned from Italy in roughly 1631.
It currently resides in the Museo del Prado in Madrid.
https://altusfineart.com/blogs/news/35-professional-lds-paintings-of-jesus-christ
https://kuadros.com/en-us/blogs/news/las-pinturas-mas-famosas-de-jesus
Paintings
of
Jesus Christ
have occupieda prominent role
in
the art world
for
close
on 1500 years
Many commissions by the rich and wealthy all trying to prove their faith and muster influence with the church use Jesus Christ as the central role or theme.
Practically all of the renaissance masters have several of their famous works of art depicting either the crucifixion or some other important biblical scene that contains Christ.
These types of commissions in their day would have been extremely expensive and only the very rich and powerful could afford to undertake these kinds of works.
Famous Paintings of Jesus
1. The Last Supper
The most famous painting of Jesus Christ is without doubt the last supper.
Painted by none other than Leonardo da Vinci it depicts the last supper of Jesus Christ and the twelve apostles.
Painted in the late 15th century as a mural on the walls of the refectory of the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan.
Fresco paintings are usually created by applying pigment onto intonaco, or a thin layer of wet lime plaster.
Also Read: Easter Paintings
This is normally the best technique to use as it allows the fresco to deal with the natural breathing or sweating that a wall does as moisture moves out to the surface.
However, with the Last Supper da Vinci decide to use oil paint as it dries much slower and would allow him to work on the image in a much slower and more detailed manner.
Leonardo knew that the natural moisture that permeates through most stone wall buildings would have to be sealed if he were to use oil paints, or it would ruin his work.
He added a double coat of gesso, mastic, and pitch to fight this.
The artwork has had to be restored many times in its long history.
Very little of the initial top layer of oil painting is left as a consequence of both environmental and deliberate damage.
2. The Transfiguration
The transfiguration is the final work by the great renaissance artist Raphael that was commissioned by Cardinal Giulio de Medici of the Medici banking dynasty.
It was originally conceived as a alter piece that was to hang as the central altarpiece for the Narbonne Cathedral in France it now hangs in the Pinacoteca Vaticana in Vatican City.
Following Raphael’s death the painting was never sent to France and the Cardinal instead hung on the high altar in the Blessed Amadeo’s church of San Pietro in Montorio, Rome in 1523.
In 1797 however it was taken by French troops as part of Napoleon’s Italian campaign and subsequently hung in the Louvre.
The painting can be viewed as reflecting a dichotomy at the simplest level: the redemptive force of Christ, as symbolized by the purity and symmetry of the top half of the painting; as opposed to the shortcomings of Man, as symbolized in the bottom half of the painting by the gloomy, chaotic scenes.
It would be Raphael’s finally painting and he would work on it right up until his death in April 1520.
The cleaning of the painting from 1972 to 1976 showed that only some of the lower left figures were completed by assistants, while the majority of the painting was by Raphael himself.
3. The Last Judgment
The Last Judgment is a huge fresco painted by Michelangelo that adorns the entire alter wall in the Vatican City of the Sistine Chapel.
Between 1536 and 1541, it took Michelangelo over four years to complete because of not only its scale, but also the difficulty and number of figures.
25 years after the completion of the Sistine Chapel Ceiling, he began working on it and by the time it was finished, he was considerably old at 67 at that point.
All the males were initially painted as nudes, but the inclusion of painted draperies later covered them up.
The reception was originally mixed between praise and criticism, with the nudes being a big topic of debate as well as how muscular a number of the figures were.
Also Read: Famous Fresco Paintings
It is a reflection of Christ’s Second Coming and the ultimate and
everlasting judgment of all mankind by God.
As judged by Christ, who is surrounded by famous saints, the dead rise and descend to their destiny. There are more than 300 figures in total.
It was originally commissioned by Pope Clement VII, but it was completed under Pope Paul III, whose stronger reforming views undoubtedly influenced the final treatment.
From the beginning, the reception of the painting was mixed, with much praise but also criticism on both religious and artistic grounds.
One point of controversy was both the amount of nudity and the muscular design of the body, and another was the overall composition.
4. Christ Carrying the Cross by El Greco
El Greco created numerous paintings of Christ bearing the cross during his long career in Spain in roughly 1580.
Unlike some of his earlier works this piece is not a narrative one, Christ is alone in the image and no really background or setting is discernible.
The image portrays Christ as he bears the cross to his death in a moment of personal contemplation, thereby performing the greatest sacrifice for humanity.
The eyes of Christ are raised up to the heavens in the painting as he begins his walk toward his crucifixion. His gentle hands curl around the cross as the backdrop is filled by a stormy night.
Also Read: Nativity Paintings
El Greco as his name suggests was Greek and acquired the name while living in Italy during the Renaissance era, he worked under the
El Greco lived in Venice , Italy, and studied under Titian, one of Italy’s most famous Renaissance painters.
5. Christ Crucified by Diego Valazquez
Christ Crucified was painted in 1632 by Diego Velazquez.
Diego Velazquez was the official painter to the then king of Spain Philip IV and although he completed on a few religious painting this is actually one of his most famous works of art.
The painting depicts the crucifixion of Jesus in a very understated way when compared to some of his other works from the same period.
Also Read: Resurrection Paintings
Velazquez would make several nude studies when he spent time in Rome which he would use in some of his later works like Apollo at the Forge of Vulcan and Joseph’s Tunic.
With Christ Crucified however the image is much more minimalist and has a very paired down and respectful feel.
There is no supporting scene or any other people to focus on just a very raw ad bare full front on near life size nude painting.
Although there were preparatory siting doe with live models the actually painting is thought to have been completed back in Spain after he returned from Italy in roughly 1631.
It currently resides in the Museo del Prado in Madrid.