ROSSO FIORENTINO
(b. 1494, Firenze, d. 1540, Paris)

Risen Christ

1528-30
Oil on wood, 348 x 258 cm
Duomo, Città di Castello

This painting for the Cathedral of the provincial Umbrian town of Città di Castello depicts the risen Christ with saints below. Rosso has moved toward a more mechanistic composition on a monumental scale. Created in an irregular octagonal format, the picture retains a strong vertical emphasis. Separate figures and incidents, along with the idiosyncratic treatment of the parts, overwhelm the impact of the composition as a whole.