The Descent from the Cross

Jan Sanders van Hemessen painted big, solid figures pressed close to the front of the picture. His people are muscular and fully three dimensional, and he mixed Flemish detail with what he had learned from Italian art, especially Michelangelo and Raphael. He was born near Antwerp, trained with Hendrick van Cleve and became a master in the Antwerp guild in 1524. He probably travelled to Italy early in his career. He painted religious scenes, portraits and genre scenes with a moral point, such as rowdy tavern and brothel scenes that warn against vice, often with a small biblical episode hidden in the background. His daughter Catharina van Hemessen became a portrait painter. His Judith, a monumental nude with a sword, and Christ Carrying the Cross show his power with the human figure. The Prado and the Royal Museums of Fine Arts in Brussels hold important works.