Salvatore Fiume - Crucifixion

A popular iconography throughout the history of Western art, the Crucifixion has its origins in the early Christian era and has developed over the centuries, culminating in the most recent expressions of contemporary art. The traditional iconography of Jesus on the cross has countless variations, from the simplest, featuring only the crucified Christ, to the version accompanied by the "mourners," the Madonna and Saint John the Evangelist. In the Middle Ages, Crucifixion scenes began to become increasingly elaborate: thieves' crosses were added, and gradually more and more figures were added, until they became the subject of large choral scenes. It is often accompanied by symbolic elements, such as the presence of the sun and moon or Adam's skull beneath Christ's cross (which signifies the redemptive action of Christ's Passion in the face of original sin).

In this work, Salvatore Fiume, while remaining consistent with his figurative language and his exploration of formal values, adopts a more expressionistic approach. The subjects are more concise and essential, and the plastic component is diminished. The color is applied in a highly textured and full-bodied manner, delineating the forms with few brushstrokes. However, both in terms of the iconographic choice and the language, which is contemporary yet possesses a certain archaic charm, Fiume's style in this work can be compared to fifteenth-century predellas. Above all, the clarity of the colors, combined with a marked rationality of composition, demonstrate a certain affinity with Piero della Francesca.

Salvatore Fiume was born in 1915 in Comiso and died in Milan in 1997. In addition to being a painter and sculptor, he was also an architect. His career as a painter focused on a reinterpretation of classicism, particularly Renaissance painting and Piero della Francesca. Later, thanks to his success, he traveled extensively around the world, drawing inspiration from exotic folklore, which he rendered in an expressionist manner.

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