The most dominant figure in the western world and probably the most influential man in history. He has also inspired some of the most beautiful paintings ever, and here I give you 50 of them. Hello, I hope you’re doing fine, welcome to my first art post of 2024.
“Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” – Jesus of Nazareth, quoted in Matthew 5:43-44 (King James Version)
Although historians did not record his birth, nor for 30 years did anyone pay him much heed, a devoted Jew from Nazareth became probably the most influential man in history, and the religion his disciples founded is practiced today by at least a third of the population around the world.
He’s briefly mentioned by Roman historians Tacitus, Suetonius, and Pliny the Younger; the great Jewish historian Flavius Josephus also mentions him in his writings, and there’s even a brief and controversial description about his origins in the Talmud.
Giovanni Bellini – The Transfiguration (circa 1487) (Via: commons.wikimedia.org)
Jesus himself left no writings behind and virtually most of what we know about him comes from the four Gospels of the New Testament, written in Greek between 60 and 125 AD. Six hundred years later there were churches throughout Europe and Asia Minor that spread his teachings.
It’s not even clear what his original name was. Most probably it was the common Jewish name Yehoshua. The name Jesus Christ, is combination of the two Greek names: Jesus, the Greek version of “Joshua”, savior, and “Christos”, a translation of the Hebrew “Messiah”.
Heinrich Hofmann – Jesus among the Doctors (1884) (Via: commons.wikipedia.org)
His influence is so great that more than 2,000 years later after his death, centuries themselves are measured from the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, although by a miscalculation of the monk Dionysius Exiguus, who assigned the wrong year of his birth, is now believed that Jesus’ birth may have occurred in the years between 6 and 4 BC and his death in the year 30 AD.
He’s also the subject of some of the greatest works of art in history, particularly of the Renaissance era. Early depictions of Jesus Christ started to circulate about between 260 and 525 AD. The conventional image of a fully bearded Jesus with long hair emerged around 300 AD, but did not become established until the 6th century.
El Greco – Healing of the Man Born Blind (circa 1573) (Via: wikipedia.org)
In this post we will cover in paintings six major milestones of Jesus’ life as they include his Birth, Baptism, Transfiguration, Crucifixion, Resurrection and Ascension.
But first, let’s take a look at Jesus’ life.
Brief Biography
He was born in Bethlehem, a little town southwest of Jerusalem, possibly in the year 4 BC during the reign of Herod the Great and Roman Emperor Augustus, with the Hebrew name of Yeshua, His parents were a Jewish woman named Mary and a carpenter named Joseph, who was a descendant of David, the second king of Israel.
Giorgione – The Adoration of the Shepherds (between 1505 and 1510) (Via: wikipedia.org)
Barely is known of Jesus’ infancy and early years. He grew up in Nazareth with his mother, father, and other brothers. He learned the carpentry trade from his father and spent some time reading the teachings of the Old Testament and discussing about them with the Jewish scribes of the temples.
At the age of 30 begins what is known as the public life of Jesus. After being baptized by the Judaean preacher John the Baptist, who recognized him as a holy man, Jesus retired to the desert where he spent forty days without eating and living among wild beasts.
Paolo Veronese – The Conversion of Mary Magdalene (circa 1548) (Via: wikipedia.org)
Jesus, then, started his teachings. After having been rejected in Nazareth, he roamed about Palestine and the border districts, where his words began to spread and gain popularity. He then gathered twelve men who always traveled with him, kwon as the Apostles. Wherever he went, Jesus was always well-received; he was young, charismatic, and many people said there was something special about him.
Multitudes started to appear wherever he went preaching, and this period lasted for three years. He deviated from the Old Testament and started teaching the love of God, compassion, and to love your neighbor; he taught also about forgiving your enemies and even love them. However, Jesus’ teachings were not liked by the Jewish authorities who ridiculed his words and accused him of performing malicious tricks on the people around him. Jesus paid no attention of this at first, but later he knew what needed to be done.
Paolo Veronese – The Wedding at Cana (1563) (Via: commons.wikimedia.org)
Decided to confront his adversaries, Jesus entered Jerusalem for Passover, a celebration to commemorate the Jewish exodus from Egypt, in 30 AD during the reign of Herod Antipas and Roman Emperor Tiberius. He expelled merchants and consumers from the temple and had a Last Supper with his twelve followers where he instructed them the ministry of his mission. Later that night, he retired to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray.
But one of his followers betrayed him and Jesus was taken for trial at the Sanhedrin, the supreme court of the Jews. He was then taken to the Roman official, the Procurator Pontius Pilate, who realized the charges on Jesus were unfounded and sent him to Herod Antipas. But Herod, in a political maneuver, sent Jesus back to Pilate who had him tortured and delivered him to the people, who was asking for his death by crucifixion, and declared himself innocent of his blood.
Carl Bloch – The Sermon on the Mount (1877) (Via: wikipedia.org)
Jesus was crucified on a Friday together with two common robbers on a knoll just outside the northern city gate. Only Mary, his mother, a few followers, and John the Evangelist, where present at the moment of his death. A rich Jewish man named Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, a notable Pharisee, claimed Jesus’ body and buried him in a garden that belong to the former.
But three days later, on Sunday, Jesus’ followers found his tomb empty that morning. Later, according to the Gospels, Jesus appeared to several of his followers. He talked, ate, and drank with them; he instructed them for the task of proclaiming his message. Forty days later after his resurrection he ascended to Heaven, as is told in the book of the Apostles.
Caravaggio – The Incredulity of Saint Thomas (from 1601 until 1602) (Via: wikipedia.org)
In the following years, and after terrible persecutions, Christianity, the religion founded by the disciples of Jesus Christ, became the official religion of the Roman Empire. Today, Christianity, in its, many forms, is practiced by at least 2.8 billion people around the world.
Now that you read his biography, let’s take a look at Jesus’ life in paintings. I ordered them from Jesus’ birth, his adult life and finally his ascension. You will find the names of some of the greatest painters of all time, but also others you have never heard about.
Now, let’s begin.
50
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo – The Adoration of the Shepherds (circa 1650) (Via: wikipedia.org)
49
Federico Barocci – Natività (1597) (Via: commons.wikimedia.org)
48
Giorgione – The Adoration of the Shepherds (between 1505 and 1510) (Via: wikipedia.org)
47
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo – Adoration of the Magi (1655 - 1660) (Via: wikipedia.org)
46
Francisco Bayeu y Subías – The Holy Family (circa 1776) (Via: commons.wikimedia.org)
45
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo – Virgin and Child with a Rosary (Via: commons.wikimedia.org)
44
Guido Reni – Saint Joseph and the Christ Child (1640) (Via: wikipedia.org)
43
Jusepe de Ribera – The Holy Family with Saints Anne and Catherine of Alexandria (1648) (Via: commons.wikimedia.org)
42
Francisco de Zurbarán – The Flight into Egypt (late 1630s) (Via: artuk.org)
41
Antonio da Correggio – The Rest on the Flight to Egypt with Saint Francis (1517) (Via: commons.wikimedia.org)
40
Heinrich Hofmann – Jesus among the Doctors (1884) (Via: commons.wikipedia.org)
39
Grigory Gagarin – The Baptism of Christ (circa 1840–1850) (Via: wikipedia.org)
38
Paolo Veronese – The Baptism of Christ (between circa 1580 and circa 1588) (Via: commons.wikimedia.org)
37
Guido Reni – The Baptism of Christ (between circa 1622 and circa 1623) (Via: wikipedia.org)
36
Paolo Veronese – The Wedding at Cana (1563) (Via: commons.wikimedia.org)
35
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo – Christ healing the Paralytic at the Pool of Bethesda (between 1667 and 1670) (Via: wikipedia.org)
34
El Greco – Healing of the Man Born Blind (circa 1573) (Via: wikipedia.org)
33
Paolo Veronese – The Conversion of Mary Magdalene (circa 1548) (Via: wikipedia.org)
32
Ford Madox Brown – Jesus Washing Peter’s Feet (1852–1856) (Via: wikipedia.org)
31
Carl Bloch – The Sermon on the Mount (1877) (Via: wikipedia.org)
30
Duccio di Buoninsegna – The Raising of Lazarus (1310–11) (Via: wikipedia.org)
29
Giovanni Bellini – The Transfiguration (circa 1487) (Via: commons.wikimedia.org)
28
Giotto – The Expulsion of the Money Changers from the Temple (Via: stormfront.org)
27
Leonardo da Vinci – The Last Supper (from 1495 until 1498) (Via: wikipedia.org)
26
Fritz von Uhde – Last Supper (1886) (Via: wikipedia.org)
25
Giorgio Vasari – The Garden of Gethsemane (c. 1570) (Via: commons.wikimedia.org)
24
Mariano de la Roca y Delgado – La oración en el Huerto (1857) (Via: commons.wikimedia.org)
23
Mihály Munkácsy – Christ in front of Pilate (1881) (Via: wikipedia.org)
22
Alexandre Cabanel – The Mocking of Christ (1845) (Via: commons.wikimedia.org)
21
Anton Raphael Mengs – The Flagellation of Christ (1769) (Via: wikiart.org)
20
Caravaggio – Ecce Homo (circa 1605) (Via: wikiart.org)
19
Mihály Munkácsy – Ecce Homo! (1896) (Via: commons.wikimedia.org)
18
Lo Spagna – Christ Crowned with Thorns (between 1500 and 1525) (Via: commons.wikimedia.org)
17
El Greco – Christ Carrying the Cross (circa 1602) (Via: commons.wikimedia.org)
16
Léon Bonnat – Christ on the Cross (circa 1874) (Via: commons.wikimedia.org)
15
Paul Gauguin – The Yellow Christ (1889) (Via: commons.wikimedia.org)
14
Diego Velázquez – Christ Crucified (circa 1632) (Via: commons.wikimedia.org)
13
Giovanni Bellini – Dead Christ Supported by Two Angels (circa 1460) (Via: wikipedia.org)
12
Peter Paul Rubens – Descent from the Cross (between 1612 and 1614) (Via: commons.wikimedia.org)
11
Fra Bartolomeo – Pietà (1516) (Via: wikipedia.org)
10
Caravaggio – The Entombment of Christ (between 1602 and 1603) (Via: wikipedia.org)
9
Laurent de La Hyre – Christ Appears to the Three Marys (circa 1653) (Via: wikipedia.org)
8
Anton Raphael Mengs – Noli me tangere (“Do not touch me”) (1769) (Via: commons.wikimedia.org)
7
Thomas Francis Dicksee – Christ of the Cornfield (1883) (Via: commons.wikimedia.org)
6
François-Joseph Navez – The Incredulity of Saint Thomas (1823) (Via: wikipedia.org)
5
Caravaggio – The Incredulity of Saint Thomas (from 1601 until 1602) (Via: wikipedia.org)
4
Caravaggio – The Supper at Emmaus (circa 1601) (Via: commons.wikimedia.org)
3
John Singleton Copley – Ascension (1775) (Via: wikipedia.org)
2
Salvador Dali – The Ascension of Christ (1958) (Via: reddit.com)
1
Leonardo da Vinci – Salvator Mundi (after 1507) (Via: eclecticlightdotcom.files.wordpress.com)
So, there you have them. I hope you have liked my selection. But tell me what do you think, are you agree with my selection? Which one is your favorite? Did I forget a great painting about Jesus Christ you like? If so, leave it in the comment section.
You may wonder where did I get the information for this post, well, I consulted several books, and encyclopedias at my local library. Part came from The New Encyclopedia Britannica, the Collier’s Encyclopedia, and from the book The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History by American author Michael H. Hart.
The sites where I got the images are some of my favorites:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
and
https://www.reddit.com/r/museum/
Be sure to follow my blog for more content like this.
Now check 50 great paintings about people at windows and balconies right here:
https://ecency.com/hive-150329/@thereadingman/50-beautiful-paintings-of-people
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Have a great weekend!
Until Next Time
Take care
Orlando Caine.