Study of nude males to the scene with Nicodemus supporting Christ’s body to the painting ‘Entombment’ 1850

This is a study of nude males by Józef Simmler, likely made with graphite on paper. The figures evoke a deep sense of sorrow, emphasized by the motif of the limp hand. The extended, open hand is a powerful symbol. We see it echoed across time and cultures, from ancient Roman funerary art to Renaissance depictions of Christ's deposition. Consider Mantegna's Dead Christ, where the stark realism of the lifeless hand intensifies the scene's emotional impact. This gesture, heavy with grief and surrender, taps into a shared human experience of loss, lingering in our collective memory. This enduring motif, rooted in our primal understanding of death, resurfaces in various forms, a testament to its profound psychological resonance. Its continuous re-emergence in art reveals how deeply embedded it is in the human psyche.