The artwork entitled “Crucified Christ with the Virgin, St. John the Evangelist and Cardinal Juan de Torquemada” was created by Fra Angelico between 1440 and 1442. Executed on a panel using tempera, this religious painting belongs to the Early Renaissance art movement. The piece is currently housed in the Fogg Museum, part of the Harvard Art Museums in Cambridge, Massachusetts, US.
The artwork depicts the crucifixion of Christ, with the Virgin Mary and St. John the Evangelist standing beside Him. The scene is set in a gilded frame topped with a pointed arch, which adds a structured, almost architectural element to the composition. The Virgin Mary, cloaked in a deep blue robe, is depicted on the left side with her hands clasped in a gesture of prayer and sorrow. Cardinal Juan de Torquemada is kneeling in devotion beside her. On the right side stands St. John the Evangelist, dressed in a long, flowing red and blue garment, gazing up at the crucified Christ, who is centered in the composition. A skull at the base of the cross signifies Golgotha, the place of the skull, adding to the painting’s somber tone.
