Golgotha
Brooklyn Museum photograph
Object Label
This is one of five Crucifixions that Franz von Stuck painted during the difficult years just before and during World War I. Here, Christ’s sufferings at Golgotha take place not on a high cross but at eye level. Viewers can imagine themselves as part of this intimate scene, under an eclipsed sun, standing close to the haloed Virgin Mary, the crucified thief, and Christ on the cross. The buildings visible in the background suggest an eastern Mediterranean architectural style, acknowledging the historical location of the biblical scene.
Caption
Franz von Stuck (German, 1863–1928). Golgotha, 1917. Oil on canvas, 46 7/8 x 48 1/4 x 3 3/16 in. (119.1 x 122.6 x 8.1 cm) frame: 47 x 48 1/4 x 3 3/16 in. (119.4 x 122.6 x 8.1 cm) image (site measurement of painting): 41 x 42 1/2 in. (104.1 x 108 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Alfred W. Jenkins, 28.420. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
Gallery
Not on view
Gallery
Not on view
Artist
Title
Golgotha
Date
1917
Geography
Place made: Europe
Medium
Oil on canvas
Classification
Dimensions
46 7/8 x 48 1/4 x 3 3/16 in. (119.1 x 122.6 x 8.1 cm) frame: 47 x 48 1/4 x 3 3/16 in. (119.4 x 122.6 x 8.1 cm) image (site measurement of painting): 41 x 42 1/2 in. (104.1 x 108 cm)
Signatures
Lower right: "FRANZ/VON/STUCK/1917"
Credit Line
Gift of Alfred W. Jenkins
Accession Number
28.420
Frequent Art Questions
Why is the sun eclipsed?
Several of the Gospels in the Bible's New Testament say that the sky went dark or the sun went dark at the moment of Christ's death on the cross. This is the artist's way of showing that occurrence.
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