preview

Peter Paul Ruben's The Raising Of The Cross

Satisfactory Essays

Ruben’s The Raising of the Cross was painted around 1610-1611 by Peter Paul Ruben using oil on panel. This painting is Flemish Baroque style. This image is loaded with fundamental artistic elements and principles that not only enhance the image, but also enhance the observer’s perspective and perception. The four elements and principles that will be discussed in depth are directional line, contrast, emphasis, and focal point. The first example of a directional line in this image is the rope being pulled on the right side of the image. When you look at the rope, it leads to what I believe is the central point of this image, Jesus being lifted up on the cross to be crucified. The second example of directional line that can be observed is found by looking at the cross itself. The line of the cross leads to Jesus’ face and the scroll on the top of the cross. This scroll is saying that Jesus is the King of the Jews. These two examples of directional lines help bring the viewer’s focus toward the central point of the image. Contrast occurs when an artist uses two noticeably different states of an element, whether that be black versus white or geometric versus organic shapes. The first example of contrast I see in this image is the brightness of Jesus versus the darkness of the …show more content…

The first example of emphasis found in this image is by looking at the expression on Jesus’ face and the blood on his body. His facial expression shows that this is a troubling time for Jesus, and it sheds light on how painful this must have been. The blood on his body puts emphasis on the fact that Jesus is actually human. Another example of emphasis comes from the muscularity of all the men in the image lifting Jesus up on the cross, which could represent how much force it took to do such a horrible thing. These men were vicious and brutal who wanted nothing more than to murder

Get Access