Andrea Mantegna was born and resided in the Italian city of
Padua, near Venice. He learned to paint in a fresco program that took
him nine years to complete. Mantegna is accredited with creating the first
consistent illusionistic decoration of an entire room in the Camera Picta in
the palace of Ludovico Gonzaga. This artist designed this work to challenge his
skill of perspective and represent the emotional tone of a foreshortened life
of Christ. His intentions were to depict the biblical tragedy of Christ's
death. This work expresses Mantegna's mastery of perspective where he scaled
the feet so that they would not consume the body, so the feet are not
realistically represented. Also, he used harsh lines to convey a harsh
emotional tone.
This painting has an obvious relation to the
exhibit. Christ's life was cut short. Death is not only inevitable but also
unpredictable. This peaceful cadaver and its onlookers express a powerful
emotional tone that represent the great tragedy of a foreshortened life.
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