... the realistic spatial depiction that had only recently been achieved in painting. The niche he paints is deep enough at the bottom of the picture to accommodate several figures. Yet, the figure's heads are painted very close to the Cross and nearly touching the top of the panel. The painted niche offered Rogier another advantage: he could retain the gold background, which was common in medieval paintings without offending against the demands of naturalistic depiction. All the figures are brought forward by the golden back wall so that the space surrounds them closely: convincing as their actions may look individually, there would never really have been room for them all. The result is a sense of timelessness and an almost oppressive intensity. 2. Matthias Grunewald - "The Crucifixion" c. 1515 Oil on wood, 269 x 307 cm http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/art/g/grunewal/2isenhei/1view/1view1c.jpg Matthias Grunewald's painting of "The Crucifixion" is displayed on the first panel ...

See this essay or coursework document in full right now