Matthias Grünewald

Matthias Grünewald is the traditional name of a German painter generally identified with the documented Master Mathis. Little is known of his training. He worked in the early sixteenth century, amid growing religious tensions in Germany. In his images of Christ’s Passion, color, distorted bodies, and tense gestures convey physical pain. This intensity directs attention toward suffering and compassion. Washington’s Small Crucifixion brings these expressive methods into a painting suited to close examination.