Christ Before Pilate 1992

Frank Mason’s Christ Before Pilate is an oil painting, though its specific date remains unknown. Looking at this painting, I think of the act of painting itself. The artist has laid down so many marks, building up this dramatic scene through a process of shifting and emerging, using lots of trial and error. I can imagine Mason in his studio, pushing the paint around to create this emotionally charged depiction of Christ’s trial. There’s a very particular feel to the surface, with thin layers of dark paint creating a kind of murky atmosphere. I notice one furious stroke of red cutting through the crowd – a flash of anger and violence, maybe. Mason was obviously in conversation with earlier artists like Rembrandt, who also used dramatic lighting and shadow to depict biblical scenes. It’s all one big conversation. Artists look and respond to each other across time, inspiring each other’s creativity. Painting is a form of embodied expression that embraces ambiguity, allowing for multiple interpretations.