The artwork, “Jesus Mocked by the Soldiers,” is an oil on canvas painting created by Edouard Manet in 1865 in France. It is a prominent example of the Realism art movement and is a religious painting with dimensions of 191 x 147 cm. Currently, the piece is housed in the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL, US.
The artwork portrays a poignant scene from the Passion of Christ. Jesus is depicted sitting, his hands bound, with a crown of thorns placed upon his head. Three soldiers encircle him, deriding and mocking his suffering. One soldier, clad in medieval attire, is kneeling before Jesus with an insulting gesture, while the others stand, bearing contemptuous expressions and crude implements. The dark background and stark lighting emphasize the brutality and humiliation Jesus endures, capturing the raw emotion and solemnity of the moment. Manet’s mastery in the realism genre is evident through his meticulous detail and somber color palette, conveying the somber gravity of the scene.
