Title: Carrying the Cross

Artist: Luis de Morales

Christ Carrying the Cross About 1565 Luis de Morales Spanish, about 1509–1586 Oil on panel Emerging from a stark black background, cloaked in a dark red robe, Christ carries the cross on his left shoulder, his elongated hands clutching at the vertical beam. His lips are slightly parted as though he is crying out in anguish and his forehead is stained with crimson droplets of blood, a single tear falling down his cheek. Brilliantly executed and sublimely expressive, Christ Carrying the Cross would have powerfully fulfilled the role painting played at the time: providing a visual aid to prayer and personal devotion.