How does The Dead Christ with Angels elucidate its abstract?
The Dead Christ with Angels is an 1864 oil painting by French painter Édouard Manet. The painting depicts the biblical story (John 20:12) of Mary Magdalene entering the tomb of Jesus and seeing two angels but finding Jesus's body missing. It is now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
Manet seldom chose to paint images with religious meaning, and he tended to focus on contemporary subjects. John Hunisak speculates that Manet may have wanted to display a religious work in the 1864 Salon because of the negative reaction he had received for his recent paintings of modern subjects. Manet may have hoped, Hunisak suggests, that the more traditional topic, with a contemporary twist, would please his supporters and critics alike.
Mary Magdalene New York City Jesus John 20:12 Salon Édouard Manet Metropolitan Museum of Art