TIZIANO Vecellio
(b. 1490, Pieve di Cadore, d. 1576, Venezia)

Christ Carrying the Cross

c. 1565
Oil on canvas, 98 x 116 cm
Museo del Prado, Madrid

In this painting, which is also known as Christ and the Cyrenian, Titian vividly conveys the intense, physical suffering experienced by Christ as he is bowed down by the weight of the cross. The beholder is encouraged to meditate on the physical realism of the scene and empathise with Christ.