
Francisco de Zurbarán
1627
Francisco de Zurbarán's 'Crucifixion' (c. 1627) is one of his earliest masterpieces, painted when the young Spaniard was establishing himself in Seville. The crucified Christ emerges in sharp tenebrist light from an absolute black ground — a single monumental figure of austere devotional power. Oil on canvas, Art Institute of Chicago.
Image source: Art Institute of Chicago