Artwork
Resurrection of Christ
Resurrection of Christ is an oil painting by the Baroque artist Samuel van Hoogstraten. It dates from 1665 and is held in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.
- Accession no.
- 31173
- Credit line
- Sophia P. Morton Purchase Fund
About this work
The painting shows Jesus rising from the dead, surrounded by people. It's an oil on canvas work from around 1665. The artist used light and dark to create a sense of drama.
The use of light and dark is interesting, it makes the scene feel more realistic. The artist's use of shadows adds depth to the scene, check out the technique of chiaroscuro.
Overview
Samuel van Hoogstraten’s Resurrection of Christ is an oil on canvas executed circa 1665. The work belongs to the religious painting tradition of the Dutch Golden Age and is currently part of the Art Institute of Chicago’s collection. It presents a dramatic moment from the New Testament, rendered with the compositional balance characteristic of the period.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on the risen Christ, whose figure emerges from the tomb amid a gathering of onlookers. The surrounding figures, soldiers, disciples, and witnesses, react with a mixture of awe and reverence, emphasizing the theological significance of triumph over death and the promise of salvation.
Technique & Style
Van Hoogstraten employs a pronounced chiaroscuro, contrasting luminous highlights on Christ’s body with deep shadows that recede into the background. This handling of light not only creates a three‑dimensional effect but also heightens the emotional intensity of the scene, a hallmark of Dutch Baroque visual rhetoric.
History & Provenance
Painted around the mid‑1660s, the canvas entered the Art Institute of Chicago’s holdings through acquisition in the 20th century. Its provenance traces back to Dutch collections, reflecting the artist’s reputation as both a painter and a theorist of art during the later phase of the Dutch Golden Age.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Samuel Dirksz van Hoogstraten (2 August 1627 in Dordrecht – 19 October 1678 in Dordrecht) was a Dutch Golden Age painter, who was also a poet and author on art theory.
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