The Virgin and Saint John the Evangelist
Workshop of Jacob Cornelisz. van Oostsanen
c. 1520
The grief-stricken faces of the Virgin Mary and John the Evangelist once faced another panel referencing the Crucifixion. Their expressive features and weighty three dimensionality make their sorrow over Jesus’s death palpably human, while the golden space that they inhabit reinforces their sanctified status. Netherlandish devotional scenes sought to help viewers reach a liminal space between earthly reality and spiritual vision, a major objective of Christian prayer. Images of Christ’s suffering and his followers’ grief were meant to inspire empathy as a route to personal salvation.
Art Institute of Chicago · Image: Public domain · Text: CC BY 4.0