It’s Easter weekend and so I have an excuse to present you with a strange yet elegant and beautiful version of the deposition of Christ from the cross. The Bible gave Renaissance artists ample stories to illustrate for church patrons none more so than the many scenes of Christ’s life and particularly his death and resurrection. I want to take you on a closeup journey through a favourite of mine – ‘Deposition’ by Pontormo. I’m always amazed that it was created in 1526-28, not closer to our own time.
Jacopo Carucci da Pontormo (1494-1557), a Tuscan painter now familiarly known as Pontormo (the name taken from the town in which he was born), apprenticed in the workshops of a number of well known artists including Leonardo da Vinci and Piero di Cosimo. But it was the painter Andrea del Sarto who is considered his true teacher. (Click here to read my blog on this Renaissance master.) Pontormo was also heavily influenced by the work of his friend Michelangelo.
So let’s have a look at this intriguing painting. One thing I must say is that I don’t know what the accurate colour is for this painting but I looked at photos people have taken of it in situ and tried to match this image to those.
Jacopo Carucci da Pontormo, "The Deposition,"1526-1528, oil on wood, 313 x 192 cm (123 x 76 in), Capponi chapel, Santa Felicita, Florence
Jacopo Carucci da Pontormo, “The Deposition,” 1526-1528, oil on wood, 313 x 192 cm (123 x 76 in), Capponi chapel, Santa Felicita, Florence
I’m going to bring a few things to your attention and then let you look further on your own.
Pontormo worked in the style of that would become known as Mannerism, a term describing a period of art between the High Renaissance (think Raphael, Leonardo, and Michelangelo) and Baroque. Some of the qualities of this period can be seen in this painting by Pontormo where he uses contrasting colours, sometimes strange proportions, flattening of space, and an unstable perspective. There is less emphasis on a natural representation than there is on a painterly virtuosity and expression of drama.
In this painting you can see many bodies filling a space and yet, if you look closely, the space itself is so compressed that it’s difficult to imagine how all those figures can fit into it! Look at the figure whose head is above Christ’s. Just how is she supposed to squeeze in there? Where is her body and how do her arms attach to that body? And yet, somehow, Pontormo makes it work. This is part of the distortion seen in Mannerism.
Jacopo Carucci da Pontormo, "The Deposition,"1526-1528, oil on wood, 313 x 192 cm (123 x 76 in), Capponi chapel, Santa Felicita, Florence. Detail
Jacopo Carucci da Pontormo, “The Deposition,” 1526-1528, oil on wood, 313 x 192 cm (123 x 76 in), Capponi chapel, Santa Felicita, Florence. Detail
Further distortion can be seen in the curved bodies of Christ and the figure supporting him. Both have an elongated proportion and a serpentine, almost effeminate, curve that counterbalance each other.
Jacopo Carucci da Pontormo, "The Deposition,"1526-1528, oil on wood, 313 x 192 cm (123 x 76 in), Capponi chapel, Santa Felicita, Florence. Detail
Jacopo Carucci da Pontormo, “The Deposition,” 1526-1528, oil on wood, 313 x 192 cm (123 x 76 in), Capponi chapel, Santa Felicita, Florence. Detail
Another strangeness is how so many hands meet at the centre of the painting. Who does each arm and hand belong to? It’s hard to tell when you really start looking. Why would Pontormo create this confusion? Is this a reflection on the complexity of life?
Jacopo Carucci da Pontormo, "The Deposition," 1526-1528, oil on wood, 313 x 192 cm (123 x 76 in), Capponi chapel, Santa Felicita, Florence. Detail
Jacopo Carucci da Pontormo, “The Deposition,” 1526-1528, oil on wood, 313 x 192 cm (123 x 76 in), Capponi chapel, Santa Felicita, Florence. Detail
Furthering the idea that this isn’t a natural representation, let’s examine the skin-tight clothing that’s being worn. Most of the figures can be seen wearing this idea of clothing but its effect is most apparent on the almost androgenous figure top right.
Jacopo Carucci da Pontormo, "The Deposition," 1526-1528, oil on wood, 313 x 192 cm (123 x 76 in), Capponi chapel, Santa Felicita, Florence. Detail
Jacopo Carucci da Pontormo, “The Deposition,” 1526-1528, oil on wood, 313 x 192 cm (123 x 76 in), Capponi chapel, Santa Felicita, Florence. Detail
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