The Renaissance era of oil paintings brought in new styles for religious paintings whilst still continuing the common subjects as seen before in Christian art. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ was a very common choice at the time and this has continued ever since. Several of the key Renaissance artists of the time used the Resurrection as subject in many of their works, and this article explains a little more about them.
The Resurrection is an obvious choice for these artists, with it's symbolic strength which inspires many, even today. The supreme miracle, when Jesus Christ overcomes death is ideal fodder for mystical, powerful art. In each case, the Renaissance artists aimed to portray Jesus as an extraordinary being, separated from mere mortals. How this was achieved differed from artist to artist.
Hans Pleydenwurff's The Resurrection simply used Jesus' determined facial expressions to portray his strength, whilst others prefered to underline the miraculous activities (Giovanni Bellini - The Transfiguration) or superimpose the crucifixion as seen in Fra Angelico's oil painting of the same name. Grunewald created The Resurrection in bolder, brighter style that remains popular today, around 1512-15, and set Jesus against a night scene to underline his brightness and maximise his contrast to everyone else.
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