Deposition, Rosso Fiorentino
By: Harrison McCulloch
About the Painting
Deposition was painted by Rosso in 1521. "In this painting, sharply angular, emaciated figures climbing up and down ladders surround the twisted body of Christ, which has turned green in death" (II Rosso). If the painting is observed closely you can see that people are climbing ladders carrying Christ to the top. This can be interpreted many ways. I see it as People putting Christ to rest while that may be easy for some and hard for others. This piece is interesting due to its complexity and mysteriousness in what the people are doing. A key thing Rosso did in this painting was how he embraced the human form by adding so many people with many different expressions doing many kinds of jobs.
About the Painter
Rosso was born on March 8th, 1494 in Florence Italy. Rosso presumably spent most of his life in his home town. He received his art education at the workshop of Andrea del Sarto, the place where he met the artist Pontormo. Rosso hopped around places a lot. He had a very unique style of painting that was hard to like. However, he became a "trend setter and a visionary" (II Rosso). Rosso mainly painted mannerisms. Two well known paintings of his are "Deposition" and "Moses Defending the Daughters of Jethro". His two main patrons were Pontormo and Michelangelo. Rosso really sets a great example of Humanism and Skepticism for his humanistic paintings and people originally doubting his painting style.
Citations
- "Renaissance Final." ART HISTORY ARH4312 WATTS Flashcards. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2013.
- "Tumblr." Rosso Fiorentino. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2013.
- "Il Rosso." Encyclopedia of World Biography. Detroit: Gale, 1998. Gale Biography In Context. Web. 30 Jan. 2013.