Aleksander Ivanov - The Apparition of Christ to the People [1837-57]

The Apparition of Christ to the People [1837-57], a photo by Gandalf's Gallery on Flickr.

In the center of the picture stands John the Baptist, baptizing people in Jordan and pointing at Jesus walking downhill. To the right of John, the group of apostles is shown in a receding manner: John the Beloved Apostle, then Saint Peter, Saint Andrey, and doubting Nathanael. On the foreground, the youth and the elders signify incessant flow of life. In the center stands a rich man, startled by the appearance of Christ, and a slave whose face, as Ivanov put it, "shows the signs of joy through habitual suffering." The nearest to Christ figure to the right fairly resembles Nikolai Gogol, a Russian writer. The artist also evidently showed himself in the figure of a wanderer with a walking stick, sitting close to John.

[Oil on canvas, 540 x 750 cm]