GREGOIRE
JEANMONOD
Art and its stories as an inspiration
Matthias Grünewald
Cricifixion (Issenheim Altarpiece, central panel)
1512-16
Ask the question why
This altarpiece by the German Matthias Grünewald is one of the most astonishing works of the 16th century. Because even if its subject, the Crucifixion, is one of the most frequent scenes in Christian iconology, it clashes with the usual representations-
the death of Jesus. Indeed, it was admitted
that the body of Christ, despite the abuse that
were inflicted upon him, had to be presented
unscathed : with the exception of the stigmata
– wounds to the hands, feet and flank – the
artists tended to show a worthy Jesus
and attractive, with immaculate skin and anatomical
crumb intact, incarnation of a glorious and
luminous. Grünewald, however, took the side
reverses by painting an emaciated man riddled with thorns, soiled by mud and blood. His lips are blue, his tendons protruding, and his head falls on his chest which looks like a lifeless carcass.
Why this opposite ? Because Grünewald, while painting his altarpiece, became interested in its destination. He wondered what it should be used for. By whom it would be seen, and how it would be useful. But the sponsor of this
Crucifixion was a convent whose vocation
was to welcome patients suffering from this
which was called the " burning sickness " - in
actually poisoning caused by
fungi infesting cereal crops
real. Those affected suffered
the spirals of suffering : spasms, hallucina-
lesions, desquamation, gangrene… and often
the death. Under these conditions, Grünewald
understood that what these people needed to see was not a Christ in glory, physically intact, but on the contrary a man in suffering, like them. Because then they would be assured that God understood their ordeal and shared it with them, compassionate and merciful.
What we can take away:
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In any profession, the imposed practices and the reflexes acquired with experience are supposed to increase our performance. But in doing so, they divert us from the essential question of meaning, by exempting us from regularly asking ourselves what purpose our work serves. Take the time to reflect on the purpose of our efforts, taking into account the specificities of each context, allows us to glimpse solutions that we would not have considered otherwise... and incidentally to always progress.
