Study for Crucifix

Study for Crucifix is a splendid drawing in pastel realized by Adolphe Léon Willette , a French illustrator, painter, caricaturist, lithographer, and architect. The state of preservation is very good. The paper presents some fringes on the left margin. On the lower left, in pencil, there is the inscription, probably not coeval, “ Willette ”.

The drawing represents an unusual iconography, in which the crucified Christ has his right hand nailed to the cross whilst his left hand is free, caressing the head of a female figure wearing a veil, presumably the Virgin Mary.

The artist Adolphe Léon Willette , with his irreverent art, though elegant and floriated in the style, illustrated the spirit of the Bohemia of the crazy Montmartre in the turn of the 20th century. He realized, for instance, the interior decoration and the sign of the legendary Cabaret du Chat Noir , as well as the aspect of the famous Moulin Rouge .

In this case, the drawing represents a holy image with an obsolete and interesting iconography. The artwork is beautiful in the strokes and in the perspective, emphasized by the diagonal of the horizontal part of the cross. This piece is also emotionally engaging for both its intensity and meaning.