Σταύρωση

000625 Nikos Yialouris, Crucifixion, 1990, Indian ink and acrylic paint on paper, 42.5 × 69.5 cm

The theme of the Crucifixion preoccupied the painter at various phases of his work, though he never clarified why he chose it or what he aimed to express through its many variations. Many drawings were created around 1970, but most date to the early 1990s. In the present drawing, Yialouris does not depict Christ’s entire body, focusing instead solely on his left arm. The composition is minimal. The heavy wooden beam is rendered in black on white paper. The hand is nailed through the palm, while a rope hangs from the end of the forearm, near the wrist. The ink—applied with brush and reed—gives the drawing a harsh, expressionist tone. Yet the drama is heightened through the restrained use of red: at the wound of the nail, on the rope, and in a few drops near the shoulder. The artist does not need to portray the whole body of the God-man. He highlights a detail, a part—elevating emotion to the level of the whole, the suffering body. And through this detail, through what is left unsaid, the sense of pain and passion is conveyed to the viewer more intensely.