The Scourging of Christ, Giulio Cesare Procaccini Essay

Upon walking into Gallery 250 of Bostons Museum of Fine Arts, one will find on the wall a particularly eye-catching piece of art. The piece, set high on the corner of the wall encompassed by pictures depicting scenes from the life of Jesus Christ, is Giulio Cesare Procaccinis The Scourging of Christ. In this piece, Procaccinis masterful use of light and shadows in a technique called chiaroscuro dramatically portray the torturing of Christ, and it is this very application of chiaroscuro that immediately caught my eye. Through his masterful rendition of value, Procaccini successfully evoked within me a crushing sensation of agony. While I did not initially realize that the piece was one of Christ, research enabled me to witness how†¦show more content†¦Very similar to this is the use of light and shadow in Procaccinis The Scourging of Christ. In it, the main figure, the body of Christ, is basked in a light that draws him forth from the background. Behind him are the people sco urging him, and these people are only acknowledged with a bit of light here and there to indicate their presence. A majority of the figures are concealed by the strong contrast and shadows in the piece while the main figure is brought forth by light, making the use of chiaroscuro in this piece very reminiscent of the Baroque style. With a firm understanding of the piece, the significance of the piece becomes much easier to comprehend. One of the main reasons why Procaccinis The Scourging of Christ is important is due to its display of the evocative powers of art. One of the most striking traits of this piece lies in its use of chiaroscuro. Through the use of dramatic lighting, Procaccini is able to evoke within the audience a clear sense of the pain and agony of Christ. This sensation is further augmented by the ominous faces that lurk behind Christ, and Christs expression of extreme agony. Even for somebody like myself, who did not at once recognize it as a piece about Christ, it w as inevitable to understand that the piece depicted some form of extreme