The Descent from the Cross 1715 - 1725

Gian Antonio Burrini made this drawing, The Descent from the Cross, with pen and brown ink, and brown wash, heightened with white, on gray-brown paper. The figures are composed within a relatively shallow pictorial space with bold lines that give a sense of drama and urgency to this emotional scene. The loose handling of the medium and the dramatic chiaroscuro, creating strong contrasts between light and shadow, are Baroque devices that infuse the scene with emotional intensity. Note how the composition directs our eyes in a circular motion. The body of Christ is lowered, drawing our attention from the top of the cross, down through the supporting figures, and then back up through the ladders. Burrini uses the formal elements of line and shading to destabilize traditional representations. The unfinished quality of the sketch opens it up to continuous reinterpretation, highlighting that art is not fixed but fluid, always evolving in meaning.