Resurrection iconography

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I hope that I put this thread in the correct forum…

I am interested in painting, and after looking at many icons of Christ’s resurrection, I am curious as to who the two figures most often represented at the foot of the cross are. They are both usually kneeling at Christs feet and reaching out to him. One is a lady almost always in red- is this the Virgin? Mary Magdalene? And the man appears to be elderly, bearded, usually in green or white. Is that John? Joseph of A?

If anyone knows of a good book or website to explore the meanings of the colors, gestures, etc, would you please post it? I notice that Christ is often in rose- are color meanings such as rose being the color of joy, the same ones used as at the time of Giotto?
 
Candescent said:
I hope that I put this thread in the correct forum…

I am interested in painting, and after looking at many icons of Christ’s resurrection, I am curious as to who the two figures most often represented at the foot of the cross are. They are both usually kneeling at Christs feet and reaching out to him. One is a lady almost always in red- is this the Virgin? Mary Magdalene? And the man appears to be elderly, bearded, usually in green or white. Is that John? Joseph of A?

If anyone knows of a good book or website to explore the meanings of the colors, gestures, etc, would you please post it? I notice that Christ is often in rose- are color meanings such as rose being the color of joy, the same ones used as at the time of Giotto?
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Resurrection? Foot of the cross? Huh???

If you mean the Crucifixion, the Virgin Mary and the disciple John are usually at the foot of the Cross, although John is traditionally shown as a young, unbearded man. Mary Magdalen is also sometimes shown. Side comment: in the movie The Passion of the Christ she’s beautiful to the point of distraction. But then again, I’m single…
 
svid2 said:
Resurrection? Foot of the cross? Huh???

If you mean the Crucifixion, the Virgin Mary and the disciple John are usually at the foot of the Cross, although John is traditionally shown as a young, unbearded man. Mary Magdalen is also sometimes shown. Side comment: in the movie The Passion of the Christ she’s beautiful to the point of distraction. But then again, I’m single…
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Sorry, I put that very badly. Christ is often shown standing above the crossed lids of sarcophagi, and at the foot of this ‘cross’ are two kneeling figures, reaching up to him. The above post says they are Adam and Eve- they just look so utterly different than the way that I’ve seen them portrayed that I did not recognize them.
 
Candescent said:
I hope that I put this thread in the correct forum…

I am interested in painting, and after looking at many icons of Christ’s resurrection, I am curious as to who the two figures most often represented at the foot of the cross are. They are both usually kneeling at Christs feet and reaching out to him. One is a lady almost always in red- is this the Virgin? Mary Magdalene? And the man appears to be elderly, bearded, usually in green or white. Is that John? Joseph of A?
Click to expand...
Adam and Eve.
If anyone knows of a good book or website to explore the meanings of the colors, gestures, etc, would you please post it? I notice that Christ is often in rose- are color meanings such as rose being the color of joy, the same ones used as at the time of Giotto?
Click to expand...
Christ is most often shown wearing a blue cloak over a red tunic, which is really His ‘default’ color in Eastern art, and to some extent, in Western art as well. There are many ways of interpreting the colors, but one popular interpretation links red with divinity: Christ, who is God (symbolized by His red clothing), has put on our humanity (symbolized by the blue mantle).
 
Candescent said:
Sorry, I put that very badly. Christ is often shown standing above the crossed lids of sarcophagi, and at the foot of this ‘cross’ are two kneeling figures, reaching up to him. The above post says they are Adam and Eve- they just look so utterly different than the way that I’ve seen them portrayed that I did not recognize them.
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Yes, because it shows them as elderly, or at least clothed.

Trivia: in Eastern iconography, “Resurrection” icons portray Christ leading the souls of the righteous dead out of ‘Hell’. Western artworks showing the same subject are more often called “the Harrowing of Hell.”





http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a6/Greek_-Resurrection_of_Christ-Walters_37751.jpg/351px-Greek-Resurrection_of_Christ-_Walters_37751.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/05/Дионисий.jpg/352px-Дионисий.jpg

Eastern









Western
 
Candescent said:
Thanks for posting these, the one by Dionisy is fascinating. The only large copy of it I could locate is a bit blurry. It looks as if the dark angels-in hell beneath Christ are being speared or pierced with light?
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The demons in hell are named with various vices and faults - they are being speared by the angels that surround Christ, each of which carries the name of a virtue (the white discs).
 
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