The Flagellation of Christ 1546 - 1549

This is Maarten van Heemskerck’s ‘The Flagellation of Christ’. It is a drawing made with pen and brown ink. Here, we see Christ, a study in stoic endurance, as he is whipped. But note the figure writhing at the base, a clear visual signifier of chaos and despair, acting as a painful reminder of humanity's baser instincts. This echoes the figures of the damned in the lower levels of Renaissance depictions of hell. This motif, a figure overcome with anguish, goes back millennia, reappearing in ancient Greek depictions of the Trojan priest Laocoön, caught in the coils of serpents. The recurring motif of agony captures a profound aspect of the human condition, speaking to our collective fears of suffering. It creates a visceral connection to the artwork as viewers recognize and respond to this primal emotion, triggering subconscious memories and feelings. Observe how the motif has evolved, reflecting changing cultural attitudes toward suffering and the body, yet remains a constant through line in our visual language.