Critical Research Paper

“The Mocking of Crist” by Edouard Manet
Natallia Kolas
Oakton Community College (DP Campus)
HUM 123 (6:30 class)
09/27/2011

Even before going to the Art Institute, I knew that I wanted to write about one of Manet’s paintings. I admire his passion to create beautiful art even if it meant going against “old school” standards and principles. “The Mocking of Crist ” really caught my eye because of artist’s unusual interpretation of a religious subject. I felt intrigued by the idea of a red bearded Crist looking bored and out of place. When it was first presented to the public, “The Mocking of Crist ” received tons of negative criticism for the artist’s painting techniques, his choice of lower-class people as models and, of course, his interpretation of Jesus Christ’s character. “The Mocking of Crist” was painted between 1864 and 1865 in France. It is a great example of the Realist movement in art. Manet’s original title for the painting was “Jesus Insulted by the Soldiers.” Clearly, Manet did not mean to represent the soldiers' behavior in the way that title implied. Recently, once again, its name was changed to “Jesus Mocked by Soldiers.” Some sources also refer to it as “Christ Scourged.” In the center, Christ, the brightest figure, is sitting in a chair surrounded by three other male figures, soldiers. This scene is also known as the mocking of the “king of the Jews” before the execution. In this painting, the author creates an illusion of three-dimensional space by using atmospheric perspective. Even though there is no background to create a believable space by comparing sizes of elements that are upfront to those that are farther away, the figures of Christ and the soldiers do look very natural. The illusion of depth was achieved by the chiaroscuro technique: the contrast between light and dark. Manet used dramatic spots of lights in contrast with deep shadows. The body of Crist looks illuminated, almost porcelain. To make him look more organic, the artist added gray, yellow, pink and purple shades that give shape to the muscles and bones. To recreate the movement of the characters’ clothes, Manet used very dark shades and even black color in wrinkles of the material. The lack of midtones makes the contrast between light and dark more dramatic, and it makes the viewer’s eye concentrate on the lighter areas. In addition, to stimulate the focus on Christ, the author painted the background in pitchy-black color. The author used local colors to add a more realistic look to the characters and other elements in the painting. He used “traditional” colors and shades to recreate naturally looking human skin, animal fur, metal helmet, and etc. He even made sure that skin tones and colors of clothes fit the characters. Manet also used outline to separate colors and shapes. For example, Jesus’s light colored body is clearly outlined by a dark almost black color line: his feet from the gray floor, his arms from his torso, his legs from the brown chair, and etc. Obviously, the author used the same technique for all other characters as well as other elements in the painting. He also used contour lines to add depth and, at the same time, keep the painting look very natural and organic. For example, this type of lines is very noticeable on the male figure standing on one knee: multiple contour lines were used to make the three-dimensional effect. To manipulate viewers’ focus, Manet also used “invisible” lines, implied lines. Here are a few examples of the most powerful kind of implied lines, lines of sight: the man standing on one knee and the man farther behind with a helmet on his head both are looking directly at Christ. That bring the viewer’s eye back to the main figure of the composition, Jesus Christ. Moreover, if a person follows the direction in which all three soldiers hold their arms, his/her attention would be redirected back to the central figure. When it comes to the distribution of weight in this composition of four figures, this painting could be described as asymmetrically balanced. The man standing on one knee, Christ, the man wearing animal fur, and the space below them create the large lighter area that is balanced by the smaller dark one. Manet painted “The Mocking of Christ” on canvas by applying oils with bold, tick brush strokes. This type of brushwork is called actual texture that, in some way, gives a sense of personality to the painting. Unlike other artists addressing similar religious themes, Manet did not idealize Christ’s character nor paint him looking divine. Christ’s body looks dirty and weak – he looks more natural. By adding the red beard, the author emphasized that his Jesus is different. Based on his facial expression and body language, he seems exhausted, sad, and bored. He is waiting to be crucified. His eyes are looking up like he is carrying himself away form the figures who circled him - somewhere beyond their understanding. The soldiers in this painting have very different roles than “traditional” Roman soldiers who are normally illustrated torturing Christ. They look more like warriers and hunters form different historical eras and even geographical locations. Two soldiers on the left are looking directly at Christ, and the third one is looking directly at the viewer with his mouth open - they look astonished by Christ’s presence. The soldier who is farther away looks like he is still walking toward Jesus to take a better look at him. The soldier on the right looks like he is protectively covering Christ’s bare body. Because Christ looks so motionless and his eyes are rolled up, the person standing on one knee is poking him with a stick to check if is he is still alive. I also think that by using low-class people as his models and by painting Christ with an average person’s characteristics and proportions, Manet intentionally made his painting relatable to the “simple” people. By adding his touch of the red beard that does not even match Christ’s hair color, the artist shows this way his sense of humor. Unfortunately, Manet’s talent was questioned and mostly negatively criticized during his life. The art schools and academies were sponsored by the government and the exhibitions stood for generally conservative tendencies. As a result, most of his work was rejected: Throughout the twenty-four years of his active artistic life Edouard Manet continually sent his paintings to the Salon, where he met criticism which in constancy and bitterness suppressed that directed against any of his nineteenth-century predecessors1. One of the critics published his review in L’Illustration calling Manet’s “The Mocking of Christ” dark and somber: A much more pronounced ugliness is still apparent in Manet’s painting. “Olympia” and “Christ Scourged”, whose pictorial value we confess we do not
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1. George H. Hamilton, “Manet and his Critics”, (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1954), p. 70.

appreciate. They are offensive eccentricities and lively sensations of the Salon2. In his painting, Manet did not follow conservative standards of beauty. His characters look like dirty peasants; Christ’s character has “big” feet and the red beard. Because of the negative criticism and hardships in attempts to reach the public, the society that Manet lived in lost the opportunity to enjoy one of the greatest pieces of contemporary art.

____________________________ 2. Ibid.

Bibliography

1. Hamilton, George H. “Manet and his Critics.” New Haven: Yale University Press, 1954. 2. Sayre, Henry M. “A World of Art.” 6th ed. Boston: Prentice Hall, 2010. 3. Hanson, Anne C. “Manet and the Modern Tradition.” New Haven: Yale University Press, 1977.