View source for Crucifix (Cimabue, Arezzo)

{{Short description|Painting by Cimabue}}
{{Infobox artwork
| italic title  = no
| image_file    = File:CrocifissoCimabue-Arezzo-Photo taken by Senet. April 20, 2010-Perspective correction, crop and blackframe with GIMP by Paolo Villa 2019.jpg
| title         = Crucifix by Cimabue at {{nowrap|Arezzo}}
| artist        = [[Cimabue]]
| year          = 1267-71&nbsp;
| medium        = Distemper and gold on wood panel
| height_metric = 336
| width_metric  = 267
| museum        = [[San Domenico, Arezzo|Basilica of San Domenico]]
| city          = [[Arezzo]]
}}
The '''Crucifix by Cimabue at Arezzo''' is a large wooden [[crucifix]] painted in [[distemper (paint)|distemper]], with [[gilding|gold leaf]], by the [[Florentine painting#Before 1400|Florentine painter]] and [[mosaic]]ist [[Cimabue]], dated to c. 1267–71. It is the earliest of two large crucifixes attributed to him.<ref>The other is the [[Crucifix (Cimabue, Santa Croce)|crucifix at Santa Croce]], commissioned by Franciscans. See Chiellini, 8</ref> It shows a painted representation of the near dead body of Christ on the cross, with [[Mary, mother of Jesus]] and [[John the Evangelist]] at either end of the cross beams.
Its importance lies, in part, in the stylistic innovations and departure from some of the prevailing [[Byzantine art|Byzantine conventions]] of the time, towards greater expressionism (especially in its portrayal of the agonies of death by crucifixion), empathy and humanism.<ref>[[Giorgio Vasari]] considered Cimabue the founder of Italian painting. See Kleinhenz, 224</ref> In this, the work seeks to appeal to the viewer's heart rather than mind, and perhaps attempt to break the barrier between viewer and deity.<ref name="c10">Chiellini, 10</ref>
The dating is based on stylistic advancements. The crucifix has been in situ at [[Arezzo]] since its completion. Art historians have established it as probably one of Cimabue's earliest works.<ref name="c10" />
==Commission and attribution==
[[File:Arezzo, san domenico, int., crocifisso di cimabue.JPG|left|280px|thumb|In situ]]
The Crucifix was commissioned by members of the [[Dominican Order]] for the [[San Domenico, Arezzo|Basilica of San Domenico]], [[Arezzo]], Tuscany, where it has hung since its completion, above the high [[altar]]; occupying, in the words of art historian Monica Chiellini, the "position of absolute prestige...and the most decorative element [in a medieval church]".<ref name="c8">Chiellini, 8</ref><ref name="k224">Kleinhenz, 224</ref>
Art historian Christopher Kleinhenz believes the move away from the Byzantine style was motivated by a desire to emphasise the "immediate, accessible, and human aspects of the deity", in line with the doctrines of [[piety]] emerging from both the Dominican and [[Franciscan]] orders.<ref name="k224" />
==Description==
The panels are brightly painted and gilded, to fit the style of a 13th-century church, where it would have been among similarly coloured [[fresco]]s, [[Capital (architecture)|capital]]s, [[icon]] paintings and stained glass windows.<ref name="c8" /> The arms of the cross are embellished with painted coloured hanging cloths.<ref name="c111">Chiellini, 11</ref>
The work has undergone two restorations, in 1917 and 2005, but is generally good condition considering its fragility and age.
===Christ===
[[File:Giunta pisano, crocifisso di s. domenico, 1250 ca. 02.JPG|280px|thumb|[[Giunta Pisano]]'s painted crucifix of c 1250–52, now in [[Bologna]], Northern Italy, was a basis for Cimabue's work]]
The crucifix was painted in the ''[[Suffering Christ|Christus patiens]]'' ("Suffering Christ") style that emerged from the mid-13th century.<ref>Osborne, 245</ref> It displays the dying [[Christ (title)|Christ]] on [[Crucifixion of Jesus|the cross]], his eyes closed, his head resting on his shoulder, as his body buckles to the left. The sway of his rigid body indicates contortions brought about by pain. He wears a red gilded loincloth to cover his modesty.<ref>This veil becomes almost transparent in the Franciscan Santa Croce crucifix. See Kleinhenz, 224</ref> The predominance of green hues emphasised the examination of near death and decay.<ref name="c111" />
[[File:Cimabue 028.jpg|200px|left|thumb|Loincloth, with gold highlights]]
It is closely modeled on the crucifix by [[Giunta Pisano]], now in the [[Basilica of San Domenico]], [[Bologna]].<ref name="k224" /> This is most especially seen in the contortions and body type of Christ, the drapery, the architecture of the cross beams, the patterned borders and the figures of Mary and John the Evangelist at either end of the vertical cross beams. However, Cimabue goes further, especially in its portrayal of Christ's agony invoked by the contortions of his body. This is evident in that his body leans far more towards the viewer's left, and that his loincloth obscures a greater part of the patterned border alongside the crossbeam.<ref name="k224" />
The plaque on the vertical bar above Christ's head bears the [[INRI]] inscription ''Hic est Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudeorum'' ("Here is Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews"). Above this again is a small panel showing Christ with his hand raised in blessing.
===Mary and John===
{{multiple image
| align             = right
| direction         = horizontal
| header            =
| header_align      =
| header_background =
| footer            =
| footer_align      =
| footer_background =
| image1            = Cimabue 031.jpg
| width1            = 180
| caption1          = [[Mary, mother of Jesus]]
| image2            = Cimabue 030.jpg
| width2            = 189
| caption2          = [[John the Evangelist]]
}}
The [[mourning]] figures of Mary and John the Evangelist are shown at half length at either end of the vertical cross beams. Both rest their heads on their hands, while Mary is shown weeping.<ref name="c111" />
The saints are painted with bright coloured hues, with gold highlights along the lines of their clothes (this gilding is absent in the more austere Santa Croce panels).<ref name="k224" />
== Fisher House reconstruction ==
[[File:Cimabue_Fisher_House.jpg|thumb|[[Cambridge University Catholic Chaplaincy|Fisher House]]'s replica of Cimabue's crucifix.]]
In 2005, a reconstruction of the crucifix was commissioned from the [[Hamilton Kerr Institute]] for [[Cambridge University Catholic Chaplaincy|Fisher House]], the [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] [[Chaplain|Chaplaincy]] to the [[University of Cambridge]]. This 2-metre artwork was constructed according to contemporary medieval Italian methods, in particular those documented in [[Cennino Cennini]]’s {{circa|1400}} work ''Libro dell’Arte''. The crucifix was completed in March 2008, installed at Fisher House and consecrated by Cardinal [[Cormac Murphy-O'Connor]].<ref name="HKI">{{cite web |author=Lara Broecke |year=2009 |title=Reconstruction of an early Italian style Crucifix |url=http://www-hki.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/research/painting/crucifix.html |publisher=[[Hamilton Kerr Institute]] |accessdate=2009-10-07 |archive-date=2009-11-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091116103636/http://www-hki.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/research/painting/crucifix.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="rcdow">{{cite news |date=18 November 2008 |title=New Crucifix for Cambridge University Chaplaincy |publisher=Diocese of Westminster |url=http://www.rcdow.org.uk/cardinal/default.asp?content_ref=2067 |accessdate=2009-10-07 |archive-date=2011-07-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718132643/http://www.rcdow.org.uk/cardinal/default.asp?content_ref=2067 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Langham |first=Mgr Mark |date=24 July 2017 |title=The Chapel Before It Was A Chapel |url=https://www.fisherhouse.org.uk/post/old-chapel |access-date=12 July 2022 |website=Fisher House |language=en}}</ref>
==References==
{{commons category|Painted crucifix by Cimabue (Arezzo)}}
{{reflist}}
==Sources==
{{refbegin}}
* Chiellini, Monica. ''Cimabue''. London: Scala Books, 1988. {{ISBN|978-0-935748-90-1}}
* Kleinhenz, Christopher. ''Medieval Italy: An Encyclopedia''. Routledge, 2003. {{ISBN|978-0-4159-3929-4}}
* Osborne, Harold. ''The Oxford Companion to Art''. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1970. {{ISBN|978-0-19-866107-8}}
{{refend}}
{{Cimabue}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crucifix (Cimabue, Arezzo)}}
[[Category:1260s paintings]]
[[Category:1270s paintings]]
[[Category:Paintings of the Crucifixion of Jesus|Cimabue]]
[[Category:Paintings by Cimabue]]
[[Category:Rood crosses]]
[[Category:Paintings of John the Apostle]]
[[Category:Paintings of the Virgin Mary]]