Description
The Flagellation of Christ , painted in 1607 during Caravaggio's first Neapolitan period, depicts Christ bound to a column while three tormentors prepare and carry out his punishment. Christ's illuminated body dominates the composition and contrasts dramatically with the surrounding darkness. The executioners gather around him in tense, forceful movements that emphasize the victim's vulnerability. Caravaggio reduces the episode to its essential elements, eliminating elaborate surroundings and concentrating attention on the physical confrontation between Christ and his tormentors.
The monumental figures and powerful chiaroscuro characterize the new pictorial language developed during his stay in Naples. The distribution of bodies explains the painting's drama. Christ stands at the centre but cannot control the movements of those around him. One torturer bends down, another moves towards the column and a third completes the threatening circle.
