The name ‘Good Friday’, the day on which Christians commemorate the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ, may seem unusual as the day is typically viewed as solemn. Why is Good Friday called Good Friday? There are a few theories about how the name of the day came about. One suggestion is that the day is actually ‘good’ as the suffering and crucifixion of Jesus led to his resurrection and victory over death and sin. While this is plausible, other explanations suggest that the word ‘good’ either derives from ‘God’ or, most likely, that the word ‘good’ used to mean ‘holy. The name ‘Good Friday’ is not universal – in Germany the day is ‘Sorrowful Friday’, in the Romance languages it is ‘Sacred Friday’ and in Russian it is ‘Passion Friday’.
To celebrate Easter, the National Gallery in London has posted ‘The Easter Story’. The gallery has highlighted 12 paintings by artists ranging from Michelangelo to Caravaggio to Rembrandt to depict the events leading up to and following the Crucifixion known as Christ’s ‘Passion’: https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/the-easter-story. There is also Rick Steve’s video ‘European Easter: The Story through Art’ which can be viewed on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8wJivy7AU0 which also contains a link to his hour long documentary.
In the NGV there are two collections of works on paper that I would like to highlight. The first is by Hendrick Goltzius (1558-1617) a German-born Dutch printmaker, draftsman and painter. He was the leading Dutch engraver of the Northern Mannerist style and was particularly noted for his sophisticated technique and the complexity of his compositions. Between 1596 and 1598 Goltzius engraved a series of twelve prints illustrating the Passion of Christ. They reflect the influence of the Netherlandish artist Lucas van Leyden, in both the figure types and the actual engraving technique. The Passion of Christ series was extremely popular during Goltzius’s own lifetime and well beyond – even resulting in deceptive copies.
The second set of works in the NGV collection is from Brent Harris and references ‘The Stations of the Cross’. Harris is a New Zealand born artist who lives and works in Melbourne and is well-known for his haunting imagery that shifts between abstraction and figuration. These 14 minimal abstract works – ‘The Stations’ – refer to events on the path that Jesus Christ walked on the day of his crucifixion to Mount Calvary. The object of the ‘Stations’ is to make a spiritual pilgrimage through contemplation on the sufferings that Christ endured during his passion.
Finally, Margie Richardson directed me to the following youtube video – ‘Tableaux vivants of Caravaggio’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIeyulbiB0A. Margie suggested that as a holiday challenge, guides might like to identify the works (and their locations).
I wish you all a happy, safe and relaxing Easter.
Wonderful