Description of the picture:
The Resurrection of Lazarus – Sebastiano del Piombo. 1517-1519. Canvas, oil. 381 x 289 cm.
Lazarus, or Eleazar – a character from the Bible, and specifically from the Gospel of John, he is not mentioned in other books. Jesus Christ slowed down in the house of his sisters Martha and Mary in Bethany and showed the world magic, resurrecting Lazarus, who had been dead for four days already.
The tremendous canvas of the master is dedicated specifically to the moment of the resurrection of Eleazar. This multi-figured and multi-colored composition is very complicated and lively. The characters practically dot the entire considerable area of the picture, and their poses are very difficult to reproduce. It is this, and besides the exceptional multi-color of the canvas, that gives it an amazing liveliness, as if the artist was able to take an instant photograph, only by pictorial means.
In the center of the composition are two figures – Jesus and Lazarus. Christ stands to his full height, with one hand pointing to the reclining risen Lazarus, and the second, with an open palm, lifting up. Lazarus in mortal veils is supported by a muscular man.
A crowd of people around reacts differently to what is happening. Someone in horror recoils from the risen dead body, like a woman in a blue dress, someone with curiosity peers into Lazarus face or whispers to each other, discussing an incredible event. The rest froze in awe and in prayer ecstasy, looking at Christ and seeing him as a real living god.
The background of the painting is characteristic of Renaissance paintings. This is an image of a city with a bridge over a wide river, with abstract architecture. Such an artist imagined Judea of the first century, who lived in the sixteenth century.
The canvas refers to the early period of the master. It fully manifested the influence of the Venetian school of painting, at first, in the richness of colors and their effective combination. The canvas impresses with its scope, size and masterful image of complex, and sometimes even bizarre poses, with luxurious colors."