The Lamb of God
Zurbaran, one of the most important names of Spanish Baroque art, became a highly respected painter in his country with his religious compositions. However, among all the religious compositions he made, one stood out...
The name of this work, which is fascinating with its simplicity and reality, as well as magnificently reflecting the shadow-light contrast of Baroque art, was recorded as 'Agnus Dei', meaning 'Lamb of God'. When visitors to the Prado Museum in Madrid see this sheep painted in 1635, they immediately realize that they cannot easily pass by it. Although there is not much to examine in detail, the appeal of its simplicity is so strong that the viewer becomes as calm as the sheep about to be sacrificed while looking at the painting. Movements and motions are important in baroque art. Usually the figures are projected in intense movement. The movement seems to continue constantly. However, in this scene, inactivity continues constantly.
The Lamb of God remains peacefully motionless to be sacrificed. According to Christian belief, this lamb symbolizes Jesus and his sacrifice in the name of God. The reason why Jesus sacrificed himself in the name of God dates back to a much older religious event. Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit and were expelled from heaven. After this event, humanity begins to be born as sinners. Unable to bear this, God sends his own son among people who have been born sinners from generation to generation for many years. He delivers his message through his son and then has him crucified as a sacrifice to cleanse humanity's sins. Jesus knows that he will be a sacrifice. There is a lot of reference to this in Western painting. Jesus and Mary know what will happen to them in the future. This story will end on the cross. Jesus states this in many of his speeches to his disciples.
He even sets out on this journey knowing his fate, knowing that he will die in pain on the cross. In the Last Supper narrative, Judas knows that Iscariot will give him away. When the Romans came to capture him, he calmed down Peter, who tried to resist by drawing his knife and surrendering. He faces torture with great silence and calmness. The lamb we see in the work is waiting, accepting its fate, just like Jesus. Its expression, as soft as its white fur, invites the viewer to peace.
At the same time, this humble and peaceful expression that he wore while going to death actually reflects the characteristic features of Jesus. The lamb is depicted in a dark environment with a holy light shining on it.
This light shows that God watches over his son and gives his love to him. This lamb, stuck in a dark world and resigned to his fate, puts up a silent resistance to suffering for the last time under the light of God. The composition 'Lamb of God' is not the artist's first composition. He made different versions before and achieved perfection in this work. Both the light and the anatomy of the lamb are depicted here with incredible success. In addition, while the lamb's horns are not included in the other pictures, it is extremely striking that the lamb has strong horns in the version we see here. Zurbaran may have wanted the lamb to look stronger and more majestic in this version. He means that the Lamb of God is not weak and helpless. The horns strengthen the symbol of Jesus and eliminate the helplessness observed in previous versions. In addition, while there are light beams on the lamb's head in other versions, such a detail is not included here. So the lamb we see just looks like a lamb. Zurbaran did not add any explanation for his work and did not use any symbols.
This allows the viewer to communicate directly with the lamb and even empathize with it. Many painters in the history of art have dealt with this subject, but no one has painted as effectively as the Spanish Zurbaran. The Seville-born artist specializes in these subjects, often painting scenes of saints and monastic life. In 1634, he was invited to the Madrid palace with the reference of his friend Diego Velazquez. The artist, who improved himself during the years he spent in Madrid and had the opportunity to closely examine the works of many masters in the palace, established his own style clearly when he returned to Seville and began to deal with Baroque art in his own way.
As I mentioned before, while Baroque art features more active figures, Zurbaran does not do this. His figures appear static and yet monumental.
These figures are presented to us in the shadow-light contrast, which is the strongest feature of baroque art. Thank you for reading, stay with art...
