The Art of Joachim Wtewael - The Raising of Lazarus, circa 1605-10 Courtesy Wycombe Museum, High Wycombe. According to the New Testament (John 11), Lazarus had been dead for four days when Jesus visited his grave and miraculously brought him back to life. Wtewael emphasises the drama of Lazarus’s resurrection, representing excited figures in contorted poses with outstretched arms and dynamic hand gestures. The composition is ingeniously organised and balanced. Framing the composition at left and right are two male figures in green robes, both in twisted poses; the one on the left shown from the back and the one on the right from the front. They are paralleled by two women, where again, one is shown from the front (next to Lazarus), and the other from the back, reaching out to him. They are probably Mary and Martha of Bethany, Lazarus’s sisters who had brought Jesus to him. By using this framing device, Wtewael draws our attention to the positioned at the centre of the scene; Jesus in red and purple robes, reaching out to Lazarus below as he climbs from the grave. The painting was recently restored at the National Gallery and many intriguing discoveries were made. The composition must have been highly successful since it appears to have served as a model for several copies made by Wtewael and his studio. After the copies were completed, Wtewael seems to have returned to this picture and made a number of changes, possibly in order to distinguish his original from the copies. For example, he enlarged the size of the basket in the foreground and altered the colours of some of the garments for aesthetic effect.
Posted on: Sun, 28 Sep 2014 18:19:25 +0000
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