Calvary,The Last Seven Words 1980

Jan Cox made this painting, "Calvary, The Last Seven Words," using oil on canvas, at an unknown date. The title draws from Christian iconography, but the image is abstract. To understand how this painting creates meaning, we need to consider its historical context. Cox was born in Antwerp, Belgium, and his life was profoundly shaped by the turbulent history of the 20th century. During the Second World War, he was involved in the resistance movement against the Nazi occupation. After the war, he emigrated to the United States, where he became part of the Abstract Expressionist movement. His involvement with groups such as Jeune Peinture Belge, and later CoBrA, fostered a belief in spontaneity and experimentation. His experiences may have led him to question traditional representation, embracing abstraction as a means of expressing complex emotions and ideas. To gain a deeper insight into this artwork, it can be useful to research Cox's biography, the history of the CoBrA movement, and the cultural context of post-war Europe. Art is always contingent on such contexts.