Mocking Jesus by Manet

 

"Jesus Mocked by the Soldiers", 1865

 Édouard Manet 1832–1883

 

As I stand before this painting at the Art Institute of Chicago, I am not transported to the historical event of the mocking of Christ by the Soldiers but to the underwhelming sight of makeshift artist models with props and costumes draped over street clothes.

 

Manet was a high-class debunker of the classical tradition. In his Mocking of Christ, it is Christ's humanity that is on display as the important theme of the painting rather than his role as Son of God or Savior. Rather than being seen as the sacrifice for the sins of mankind, the figure of Christ here is a symbol of man's inherent worth with the heavens shut. It becomes a somewhat vulgar display.

 

You can read an official write-up about this painting on the Art Institute of Chicago's Website.