The Crucifixion by Hans Memling (Seligenstadt ca. 1435/1440 – Bruges 1494), from the Museo Civico di Palazzo Chiericati in Vicenza, on display at the Museo Diocesano in the time of Lent and Easter, serves as the starting point for a reflection that goes beyond art and history, becomes spiritual and provides us with the opportunity to dwell on the theme of the Passion of Christ.
The Cross, the visual and symbolic focus of the entire composition, supports the elongated figure of Jesus, embodying a voiceless and restrained pain that inspires lengthy contemplation. He is surrounded by a number of characters in despair. On the left-hand side, Saint John the Evangelist seems to protect and support the Virgin Mary as she almost collapses to the ground. At the foot of the Cross, a finely dressed Mary Magdalene is kneeling down, her body leaning forward, acting as a mediator between the worshipper and the sacred scene. On the right-hand side, Saint John the Baptist carries a lamb that represents the link between the sacrifice of the Cross and the mystery of the Eucharist. He appears next to Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, both patron saints of the kneeling figure, Cistercian abbot Jan Crabbe, who commissioned the triptych. Emaciated and ascetic, Saint Bernard rests his hand on the monk’s shoulder, being his guide and mentor.
An integral part of the exhibition, the section Four Contemporary Artists around a Masterpiece showcases the works of Stefano Arienti, Matteo Fato, Julia Krahn and Danilo Sciorilli, four contemporary artists who have respectfully agreed to work on the sorrowful intimacy of the Flemish master’s Crucifixion. The artists were invited to ‘look into’ the painting in order to capture its many compositional, chromatic and iconographic details, and, through their own creations, to establish a meaningful dialogue between Memling’s masterpiece and our present time.
