Crucifix | Hodowica

Creation

Johann Pinsel created the sculpture for the high altar of the Church of All Saints in the village of Hodowica in the late 1750s, probably in 1758. The church was designed by architect Bernard Meretyn.

Description

The lifeless body of Jesus hangs on the cross. His face is petrified, his arms stretched like strings. His sternum is pressed in, his abdomen is sunken. The master has carved the humped ribs and bent legs in taut, sharp layers. Christ’s loincloth is made with laconic and sparse facets. A head wounded by a crown of thorns is engraved with fine lines depicting eyebrows, eyelids, nose and lips.

In his work, Pinsel concentrates on embodying the image of the suffering Jesus. He condenses the anatomy of the body in the last chord. The sculptor eschews detail and concentrates on the thoroughness of the depiction. The artist lightly traces drops of blood, dimly stains the exposed parts of the body, adorns the bandage and the thin rope with gilding.

In this sculptural composition one can notice the carving style of Johann Pinsel’s apprentice – Maciej Polejowski.