Artist: Albrecht Altdorfer (1480-1538)
Nationality: German
Date: 1509-16
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Genre: Religious
Medium: Oil on panel
Size: 128.5 X 94.3 cm
Description
The first object to see on the painting is of a man tied by his hands and feet, to a thick pole with several arrows stuck to his flesh. There is blood oozing from the points at which the arrows have passed through his flesh. On the right lower part of the painting, two men are seen pointing arrows ready to shoot at the man on the pole.
Another man is holding his bow with his left hand with a sword hanging from his waist. He appears to have already thrown his arrow at the man. On the middle part of the painting, several figures of people are looking on to the event that seems to be ongoing; some are standing at a bridge while others underneath the bridge.
On the upper part of the painting, there are tall green trees on either side of the bridge and the sky is partly cloudy. At the middle lower part of the bridge, a man dressed in all white appears to be holding a sword in his right hand, looking down, somewhat in thoughts.
Through the lower arched part of the bridge, there appear buildings like castles in a distance and mountains stretching beyond the castle. A few steps from where he stands, there is a trench that allows water to pass through beneath the bridge, there appears to be some water in the trench, somehow moving in slow motion, not pushing through like that of a river.
The man on the pole stands in a vertical line, so do the other figures in the picture, except for one man who appears to be positioned on a curved line, bending over as if picking something from the ground. The bridge stands on a horizontal line while the clouds on a diagonal and vertical line. The painter used primary colors of blue, red, and brown as a neutral color. The value and intensity of the colors balance well on both the foreground and background of the painting. The space
Analysis
The painting has a balanced symmetry. The bridge on the middle part of the painting divides the painting into two parts. There is balance on either side of the painting with figures on both ends; trees and people. A variety of colors and sizes have been used in the painting, with the prosecutors in colorful outfits, one man dressed in all white, while the King stands at the top of the bridge with his wife looking on.
There are harmony and balance in the figures and objects in the painting. The man on the pole with arrows in different parts of his body is the emphasis on the painting. The movement is seen on the men drawing their arrows in readiness to shoot at the man
Interpretation
The vision of the man on the pole with arrows stuck on several parts of his body carries emotional weight. An individual at first glance of the painting would want to know the story behind the death by an arrow of a man, whose identity appears to be of a martyr. In comparison, the other figures in the painting draw their eyes towards the spectacle of the man on the pole, being killed by arrows.
The figures in the painting appear to question the activity that is going on. Many of the figures are looking down in pity while questioning each other as to why the man had to be killed in such a brutal manner.
The man on the pole appears dead since he shows no emotions of pain from the arrows shot at him, he died with his eyes open looking on to those mercilessly shooting arrows at him. Those looking on feel saddened by the sight of what they have just witnessed. Everyone in the crowd looks on, away with sadness in their eyes, or written upon their faces.
The man pointing an arrow at the other on the pole appears to have a grin on his face as if enjoying what he is doing. He may feel like he is conducting a just act by killing the man. Overall, it seems that the killing of the man has not pleased the onlookers. (701 words)
Works cited
Janzen, R. (1980). Albrecht Altdorfer: Four centuries of criticism (Vol. 9). UMI Research Press.