Crucifixion

This painting was commissioned for Metz Cathedral. Said at the time to have been painted to console the artist in his grief at the suicide of his mistress and pupil Constance Mayer (1775-1821), the sincerity of this work, with its lights and shadows playing over Christ's twisted body and averted face, is beyond doubt.

Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 48 minutes): Johann Sebastian Bach: Easter Oratorio, BWV 249