Christ Carrying the Cross

Among the Early Netherlandish painters, Bosch, who worked in Northern Brabant, was unique. His symbolic interpretation of themes is strikingly different from his contemporaries. This panel, painted on both sides, at one time formed the left wing of a small, now-lost altarpiece. Two separate, though narratively-connected, events are depicted on the interior side of the panel. Christ is presented in the upper portion carrying the cross; bent down by its weight, he is pushed onward forwards Gethsemane in the midst of a dense crowd of onlookers. Below, the account of the good and bad thieves is seen. The good thief, on the right, seeks absolution for his sins through confession, while the bad thief, on the left, howls and awaits his execution. Bosch depicts Christ Carrying the Cross as a timeless event, set in his own age, presenting the viewer with a mirror of the world's wickedness. In www.dailyartdaily.com you will find our article about the symbolism of owl in Bosch's painting - it's interesting as Bosch was a rather mysterious painter.