The artwork titled “Crucifixion” was created by Piero della Francesca between 1445 and 1462. Executed using oil, panel, and tempera, this piece belongs to the Early Renaissance art movement. It measures 81 x 52 cm and serves as a religious painting. The artwork is currently housed at the Museo Civico di Sansepolcro in Sansepolcro, Italy.
The artwork depicts the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, a central event in Christian theology. Dominating the center of the composition, Christ is shown nailed to a cross, his head bowed in a gesture of suffering and resignation. The figures flanking Christ include a sorrowful figure in a dark robe, representing a mourner, possibly the Virgin Mary, raising her hands in a gesture of despair or prayer. On the right side, another figure is depicted with a hand on his chest, drawn in vibrant drapery, which may symbolize one of Christ’s disciples, possibly John. The background of the artwork is rendered in a golden hue, emphasizing the sanctity of the depicted scene and providing a timeless and otherworldly quality to the representation. The simplicity and solemnity of the composition evoke a strong emotional response, characteristic of Piero della Francesca’s profound sense of form and spirituality.
