The Raising of Lazarus 1595 - 1616

Jacques Bellange’s drawing captures the biblical scene of “The Raising of Lazarus” with striking emotional intensity. Notice Lazarus himself, his body contorted, caught between life and death. This pose, the ‘pathos formula,’ echoes figures from antiquity, like dying warriors on Roman sarcophagi, expressing profound human suffering. The surrounding figures display a range of reactions. Some recoil in fear, hands raised in gestures that can be traced back to ancient depictions of horror and amazement. These gestures, passed down through centuries, reveal how deeply ingrained our responses to the miraculous and the terrifying are. Consider Mary, Lazarus’s sister, her hands clasped tightly, a picture of anxious hope. This gesture of supplication, of hands joined in prayer, has roots in ancient religious practices, transcending cultural boundaries. The collective memory of such moments infuses the scene with a powerful, subconscious charge, reminding us of humanity’s enduring fascination with life, death, and resurrection. These symbols have resurfaced, evolved, and taken on new meanings across different contexts, revealing a timeless interplay between emotion and representation.