Crucifixion

Veronese painted numerous Crucifixions toward the end of his life. Only in the canvas now in the Louvre did he stick to the scheme used in the picture of the same subject painted for San Nicolò della Lattuga, placing the crosses of Christ and the thieves on the left and devoting the right-hand part of the painting to the figures of bystanders and the landscape. In the others (in the Venetian churches of San Sebastiano and San Lazzaro dei Mendicanti) he isolated Christ’s cross at the centre of the painting, placing the figures of mourners at its foot. Common to all these works is the dramatic intensity of the image, accentuated by luministic effects and by the presence of dark storm clouds and oppressive and vaporous landscapes. The presence of blood flowing freely over Christ’s body from the wounds in his side and hands is particularly significant, underlining the concept of the purification of humanity through the blood of the Redeemer.