Christ carrying the Cross, Lo Spagna
Christ Carrying the Cross is a painting dating from the beginning of Lo Spagna’s professional maturity as an artist. Bent under the weight of the large wooden cross, Christ looks towards the viewer as he makes his way along the road to Calvary. Behind him, a raised area of ground falls away to reveal a hilly Umbrian landscape. Lo Spagna has stripped away the usual narrative elements of the scene. Christ appears alone, as he journeys towards death.
In Christ Carrying the Cross Lo Spagna has placed the lone figure of Christ at the front of the picture plane to produce an iconic image, creating a direct and intimate connection with the viewer. Representations of Christ on the way to Calvary were very popular around1500 in Italy, where the influence of the Devotio moderna (‘Modern Devotion’) movement, which emphasised the need for medieval Christians to meditate on Christ’s suffering, spurred demand for cult images of the Passion.
