The Three Crosses

Rembrandt's "The Three Crosses"

Rembrandt’s The Three Crosses is an etching and drypoint finished in 1653. The subject is Christ on the cross, flanked by the two thieves who were crucified with him. The Virgin Mary is depicted swooning and being supported by John the Evangelist. Roman soldiers on horseback and citizens in attitudes of grief are depicted around the crosses. Professionals have speculated that the scene might be interpreted as the moment of Christ’s death. The sky is very dark but pierced by a beam of brightness that surrounds the figure of Christ, representing God’s light from heaven. The Iconography in this piece is especially intricate. According to Paul Crenshaw of the Kemper Art Museum Rembrandt was inspired by the text in Matthew 27:45-54, when Christ cried out, “My God, why have you forsaken me?” Rembrandt drew heavily on biblical sources in his work, as well as being influenced by other Baroque contemporaries[citation needed]. Rembrandt created over 300 works that were inspired by the Bible. Etching and allow for dramatic contrasts of light and shade and Rembrandt produced the work in four stages, increasing in each the effects of these contrasts.

Etching and drypoint are labor intensive processes, and one of the early forms of printmaking. Rembrandt's decision to work "The Three Crosses" in these media was based primarily on the fact that he was at that time suffering financial difficulties. He had to sell many of his etchings in order to be able to afford to print "The Three Crosses". Rembrandt was able to make around sixty impressions from the plate in its first three stages, the darkest shadows on the piece being done in drypoint, and Christ and the lighter figures being etched. The nature of the media meant that it was possible for Rembrandt to make continual alterations (which he did over a ten year period), adding further etching and drypoint, changing the composition of the picture and making the final image darker and more chaotic: In the last stage, the Virgin Mary has become an almost disembodied head surrounded by darkness, and the figures that originally encircled her have, in consequence, been removed, as have been some of the soldiers on horseback. A man in a large hat (also on horseback) has been added and is believed to be a figure from Rembrandt’s 'The Conspiracy of Claudius Civilis'. The most dramatic alteration is to the "heavenly light" which has become considerably darkened, especially to the right of the picture, by which Rembrandt may be making a clear distinction between the 'good' and 'bad' thieves. Each progressive change in the work increases the focal importance of the Christ figure. In its fourth and final state, Rembrandt inked the plates in a different number of ways and with different qualities of ink. One of the prints in the fourth stage is located at the Kemper Art Museum.

Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn - Christ Crucified Between the Two Thieves ("The Three Crosses") - Google Art Project

Artwork image information

Title	English: Christ Crucified Between the Two Thieves ("The Three Crosses")
Artist	Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (1606 - 1669) (By, Details of artist on Google Art Project)
Year	1653
Creation location
Type	Drypoint Prints
Height	394
Width	456
Depth
Units	mm
City
Museum/Gallery	Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Source	Google Art Project: Home, pic
Permission
Other notes	More info at museum site Accession number: 1977.747

Notes

• Rembrandt
• Matthew 27:45
• Baroque
• Drypoint
• Etching
• Printmaking
• The Conspiracy of Claudius Civilis
• Kemper Art Museum

References

• Paul Crenshaw, “Rembrandt, Three Crosses”, Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum Spotlight series, October 2008
• Art and the Bible. “Rembrandt’s biblical work.” Last modified 2012. http://www.artbible.info/art/rembrandt-biblical-work.html
• Anthony Roland Collection of Film on Art, Edwin B. Mullins, National Gallery (Great Britain),
• Anthony Roland. The Age of Rembrandt, 1600-1680. London, Northbrook, IL: Roland Films on Art distributor, The National Gallery, 1980
• Dorsey John. “Rembrandt Etchings are an Education: FINAL Edition.” The Sun, April 1994
• Jonckheere, Koenraad and Anna Tummers. Art Market and Connoisseurship: A closer look at painting by Rembrandt, Rubens and their contemporaries. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2008
• Mis, Melody S. Rembrandt. New York: PowerKids Press, 2008
• Paul Crenshaw, “Rembrandt, Three Crosses”, Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum Spotlight series, October 2008