Pieter Aertsen. Crucifixion
1552
unspecified
From the collection of Catholic University of Leuven
1552
unspecified
From the collection of Catholic University of Leuven
This dark painting shows Jesus on the cross. Blood streaks his limbs. A crowd of figures fills the background. Some wear bright clothes. Aertsen hid everyday life in a holy scene. He mixed the sacred with the ordinary. Look for the guy selling eggs in the right corner. See how light hits the cross but leaves faces in shadow? That’s chiaroscuro. Shadows and light feel real. Check out the work of Albrecht Dürer next.
