The Raising of Lazarus
Artist: Joachim Wtewael (Dutch, 1566 - 1638)
Original Dimensions: 51 5/8" x 63 3/4"
Location: National Gallery of Art, London
About Artwork: (About 1605-10) "The bearded man wearing red and purple in the middle of the painting is Jesus. He looks down at Lazarus, the brother of his friends Mary Magdalene and Martha of Bethany. Shortly after Lazarus’s death, Jesus went to the tomb, asked for the stone covering it to be removed and called for Lazarus to ‘come forth’ (Gospel of John, 11:1–44). Lazarus emerged, still wrapped in the shroud in which he had been buried. Joachim Wtewael showed Lazarus pushing down with his arms to clamber out of the tomb. The artist used this figure to display his skill in painting the human form with exaggerated musculature in a contorted pose. The bright, clashing colours add to the scene’s drama, as do the contrasting areas of light and dark. These features are all elements of a style or taste in Renaissance art called Mannerism." - (National Gallery of Art, London)

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