Focus on The Dead Christ with Angels and analyze the Description.
This work sparked controversy and confusion among viewers due to certain stylistic choices Manet made in representing the story.
Most notably, Manet shows the two angels with the body of the dead Christ still visible. The Bible verses referenced describe the angels dressed in white, however Manet's choice was to depict them dressed in bright red and orange colors. Vladimir Gurewich suggests that this decision was most likely meant to heighten the drama of the scene.A stone in the lower right section of the painting is inscribed with the chapter in the Gospel of John that the work is based upon. The direct verse reference is debated due to the style that the lowercase v is written in: it either refers to the Roman numeral V, or as an abbreviation for vers ("verse"). Depending on this interpretation, the painting is a depiction of either John 20:5-12 or John 20:12.Jesus's spear wound is also shown on the wrong side of his body, which Manet realized only after he had submitted the painting to the Salon. Art historians have drawn attention to the shifted wound as a mirrored image of Christ, however historical accounts note that this change was completely unintentional on the artist's part. Therefore, the reading of the wound as a deeper, "mirrored" meaning is merely speculative interpretation.
Jesus John 20:12 Salon Gospel of John