"Behold the Man!"
Antonio Ciseri's Painting of the Passion of Christ
“Ecce Homo (Behold the Man!)," between 1871 to 1891, by Atonio Ciseri. Oil on canvas; 148 ⅘ inches by 115 inches. Gallery of Modern Art of Pitti Palace, Florence. (Public Domain)
“Behold the Man”
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On the morning of what is now celebrated as “Good Friday,” Jesus was brought to the Roman governor of Judea Pontius Pilate. Charged with subverting the nation and declaring himself a king, Pilate ultimately found Jesus innocent and resolved to have him whipped and released. Unsatisfied, the Jewish leaders demanded Jesus’s death and Antonio Ciseri’s famous painting “Ecce Homo (Behold the Man!)” captures the moment where Pilate presents Jesus to the hostile crowd, giving them the choice of saving Barabbas, a criminal, or saving Jesus. Pilate handed Jesus over to be crucified to prevent a riot. This biblical scene has been a popular narrative among artists since the Renaissance. The Baroque artist Caravaggio painted “Behold the Man” himself in 1605. However, Ciseri’s rendition became the most remembered (and reproduced) iconic scene from the passions of Jesus.
An Italian Master from Another Century
Antonio Ciseri (1821 –1891) was born in Ronco sopra Ascona, Switzerland. In 1833, he traveled to Florence to study drawing with Ernesto Bonaiuti. Less than a year later, he studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze (Academy of Fine Arts of Florence) under Niccola and Pietro Benvenuti. However, Ciseri’s early artistic career was greatly informed by the teachings of the neoclassical Florentine artist Giuseppe Bezzuoli. By 1849, Ciseri was teaching his own apprentices, including Italian realist painter Silvestro Lega. Ciseri’s artistry is masterful: His brushwork is precise—almost photographical— and his fabrics are brilliantly rendered. He was an accomplished portraitist in his own time but it was through his religious commissions that he drew freely from the great masters of the high Renaissance. The perspective, lighting, and composition of “Ecce Homo” echoes the artistry of Raphael Sanzio. The Latin title of this painting, translated to “Behold the Man,” refers to the words spoken by Pilate, when he presented the scourged Christ, crowned with thorns, to the crowds shortly before the Crucifixion. (read more)