Korsfæstelsen I 1910

J.A. Jerichau made "Korsfæstelsen I" with watercolor, and you can really see the quick, gestural marks he’s making. Imagine him there in the studio, wrestling with the scene. He lays down these expressive strokes, the colors merging and bleeding into each other. The overall palette is muted, with grays and browns dominating, but there are punches of reds. Look at how the washes of color create a sense of depth. I bet he’s thinking about the Old Masters, but he is also doing his own thing. There is a rawness to it. I love the way the figures are rendered with such spontaneity. Each stroke seems to capture a feeling, an urgency. This is not about precision, right? It’s more about emotion. The painting has an unfinished quality that makes it feel so alive. Jerichau is having a conversation with painters from the past, but he is also forging his own path. It’s a beautiful thing, this exchange of ideas across time.