Christ Presented to the People

Description

With light strokes of graphite repeating the contours of the figures, Christ Presented to the People is very similar in technique to The Mocking of Christ, a drawing also in the exhibition. It recalls the episode of Christ’s Passion known as the Ecce Homo (Behold the Man) when Pilate presents Christ to the mob: "Behold, I bring Him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in Him. Then Jesus came forth wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, and Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man" (John 19:4ff.). As in The Mocking of Christ, Christ is surrounded by soldiers, his bowed head indicating his attitude of resignation. Delacroix situates the spectators below the scene, and the viewer who is placed at the level of the barely delineated crowd identifies with them. The swiftly descending stairs with their sharply angled banisters create a strong sense of space.
The drawing may be datable to around 1849. In his journal entry of June 2, 1849, Delacroix mentions the execution of several religious subjects, including Christ Presented to the People. But this composition does not relate to any known painting by Delacroix.