My walk of the National Gallery was a bit short for reasons I will get into later. I chose two portraits of the Crucifixion of Christ.
In the first portrait we see a close up on Christ’s face as he is carrying the cross. Interesting things to note about this painting is the black background. There is nothing but Christ in this frame. I believe this was done to add even more emphasis into the emotions that are being portrayed. Another interesting aspect to this piece is the robes that are being worn. In many other depictions he is shown to only be wearing a tunic of some sort. Christ’s eyes are where this art piece thrives. You are able to see such pain, such sadness through the eyes. It is a powerful portrait because in this moment it truly portrays Christ as alone. No background, no others, and a single light source on Christ’s face gives the impression that he is walking in a tunnel toward the light.
The second painting has much more going on. It depicts the crucifixion of Christ with Gestas and Dismas on his left and right respectively. It also shows a massive crowd of romans and nuns alike crowding around the recently strung up son of God. In the background we can see Jerusalem and along the road more prisoners being taken to the same hill. The Christ depicted in this portrait is skinny, scrawny, bloody, and dead. We see no emotion on his face besides rest. He looks although his body has been through pain and suffering. Unlike the very zoomed in style of the previous piece.
My walk in the National Gallery was cut short due to me becoming very fatigued and cloudy minded. In fact after an hour I was so tired and so sore I almost could not walk on my own. I was helped back to the hotel through the tube system and decided to take a covid test. Low and behold, I tested positive. I am now on day 4 of my quarantine. Luckily I feel almost fully recovered. Today was the longest day because I was awake for most of the day. The last 2 I have slept for 14-18 hours a day. Waking up only to use the bathroom, eat, or drink and take more medicine.
Theatre in London U of A 