The Museo Nacional del Prado offers profound insights into the painting “Christ on the Way to Calvary,” created by the renowned Spanish artist Juan de Valdés Leal. Born in Sevilla in 1622 and passing in the same city in 1690, Valdés Leal is celebrated for his dramatic and emotive style that captures the essence of religious themes.
“Spanish painters of the second half of the 17th century opted for monumental forms and a benevolent or triumphant image of religion, but Valdés Leal represents the most important exception as an artist who exploited its most pathos-laden and expressionist aspects. His approach is evident in this scene, which emphasises the drama through Christ’s expression, the blood that stains his tunic, a very dynamic use of light and colour and a diagonal composition which directly confronts the viewer with the figure of the Saviour.
Almost the entire surface of this painting is filled by the figure of Christ, who is situated in the extreme foreground, violently foreshortened so as to accentuate the composition´s illusion of three-dimensionality and to make the representation of suffering all the more potent.
The Nazarene can hardly bear the weight of the Cross, which is made of roughly hewn beams of wood that press heavily on his back. So as not to fall to the ground, Christ braces Himself with His legs, His right hand resting on His left knee for support. He is dressed in a purple tunic -the colour of the Passion- that is stained with patches of red blood: most prominently on His right shoulder, where He carried the Cross, and on His right elbow, a wound from one of multiple falls.
The crown of thorns causes drops of blood to run down His face. Christ´s facial expression presents a combination of resignation, fatigue and suffering. Behind Him, the Virgin and another woman -possibly Mary Magdalene or the Virgin´s sister- weep with great sadness, while Saint John brings his right hand to his breast and, with the other, points toward the edifying spectacle. On the right, in the background, a very freely-executed landscape opens up: its rocky, inhospitable character provides a most fitting frame for this scene of suffering.”
Read the full description of the painting and artist: https://www.museodelprado.es/en/the-collection/art-work/christ-on-the-way-to-calvary/c035162a-872d-433d-81ac-d449199eba82
