Rebirth and Resurrection: Easter Scenes at the National Gallery

Clever online course from the National Gallery in Lent to look at paintings of the Easter story.

The course was led by Carlo Corsato and each week he discussed a few paintings from the Renaissance in detail looking at why  and how it was painted  then analysing the composition and symbolism. We covered Mantegna and Bellini’s versions of “The Agony in the Garden” Perugino’s “Mond Crucifixion” and Caravaggio’s early “Supper at Emmaus”. 

In the second half of each session he had invited guest speakers who brought a different viewpoint to the topic. We began with artist and educator, Joanna Conybeare, looking at how Northern artists approached the subject focusing on Gerrit van Honthorst’s “Christ Before the High Priest” and how he used light and dark to tell the story and add drama.

Week two was Siobhan Jolley talked about the role of Christ’s female followers in Crucifixion scenes as witnesses to trauma an artists and the New Testament have portrayed them and why.

Finally week three we had Reverend Mark Oakley, Dean of Southwark Cathedral, looking at two images of the Road to Emmus which I didn’t know by Altobelo Melone and Lelio Orsi analysing what moment of the story they are narrating and how we can tell from the image.

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