Pieta

Pieta (from Italian: mercy, piety) or "Lamentation of Christ" is the 13th Station of the Cross and one of the Virgin Mary's seven sorrows. The wounds on Jesus' body testify to the event and time when He was taken down from the cross by Joseph of Arimathea, Nicodemus, John the Apostle, the Virgin Mary, and Mary Magdalene. In the sacred art of Germany starting from the beginning of the 16th century, the Virgin Mary was separated from other figures in this scene. Such images were known as "Vesperbild", meaning "image of the vespers". Indeed, according to the Gospel, the removal of Christ's body from the cross took place in the evening. In the Middle Ages, sculptors often addressed the theme of "Lamentation of Christ". The vision of the medieval mystic St. Mechtilde of Hackeborn (1241–1298) that the body of Jesus was laid on the lap of the Virgin Mary gave impetus to the development of such iconography. This tragic story quickly spread in the art of many countries north of the Alps, and in the 15th century, it gained popularity in Italy. With great emotionality, it was reflected in the works of such outstanding artists as Hans Memling, Pietro Perugino, Michelangelo Buonarroti, Titian, Annibale Carracci, Paolo Veronese, and many others. The "Pieta" painting from the collection of Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery was most likely created under the influence of Luis de Morales' creative style. The composition of the canvas, in which the dead Christ is supported by his mother, is a paraphrase of the Virgin Mary holding the Baby. The work is distinguished by the elegance of the models, their fragile and almost ethereal appearance, their silent inner strength and the perfect balance between great grief and peace, and the realism of the material and spiritual. The hidden expressiveness is enhanced by the limited dark colour scheme and luminescence in reproducing the transparent pallor of Jesus' body. There is no sfumato, typical of Luis de Morales' paintings, although the picture's composition is very close to the central part of the artist's triptych, created around 1570 (Prado). Preserved documents of that time indicate that many of his students and apprentices, as well as the master's three sons and two daughters, worked in the artist's workshop in Plasencia and later in Badajoz. Christological paintings by Luis de Morales and his apprentices' works were intended not only for contemplation and worship but also for reflection. The theological basis of the "Pieta" scene is a reflection on the Virgin Mary's compassion for her Son's suffering and participation in salvation. This plot embodies maternal love, mercy, patience, and understanding of one's mission. The Virgin Mary is the personification of maternal love for God, the love that lifts people out of sin and death and transforms darkness into hope for resurrection.

Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery