Cross

The work is a four-pointed Greek cross with a carved lower end. The work belongs to the iconographic type of the "blooming cross", symbolising the tree of life. Each end ends with rounded projections. On the front side, in the centre, against a smooth background decorated with stars, the Crucifix is carved with a shallow contour line, following the Eastern iconographic tradition. In the manner typical of a folk artist, the image of Jesus is reproduced, occupying the intersection and part of the middle stem. The traditional compositional solution with a full-length figure of the Saviour is squat, and its transmission is characterised by a schematisation of forms with little elaboration of details. The Saviour is nailed to the cross with four nails; his head is tilted to his right shoulder, his arms are spread out, and his palms are open. Above Christ's head is a halo with a cross and letters inscribed. Jesus' schematically elaborated face is surrounded by hair that falls to his shoulders and a beard rendered in wavy, shallow lines. In an attempt to convey the anatomical authenticity of the human body, the master worked out the chest and clearly defined the stomach. A small loincloth on the thighs, modelled by straight lines of folds, adds to the decorative effect of the composition. Above Jesus' head, in the centre of the upper end of the cross, is a schematic flat image of God the Father emerging from the clouds. The lower end is filled with a generalised representation of Adam's skull outlined by a contour line, which points not only to Calvary, the place of execution, but also to the skull of the first man, the first sinner. On the reverse side, on a smooth plane ornamented with stars, the author depicted the figure of Jesus, which belongs to the iconographic type of the Baptism of Christ. The figure fills the entire surface of the central stem. The upper end has a carved image of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove, which, having spread its wings, descends from heaven. At the ends of the crossbar are contoured, flatly interpreted waist-length images of Mary Magdalene and an angel.

Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery