The Garden of Gethsemane

Giorgio Vasari

1511 - 1574

The Garden of Gethsemane

c. 1570 (?)
Oil on panel 143.5 x 127 cm
P.1979-4

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While famous as the author of Lives of the Painters, Architects and Sculptors (first edition 1550), Vasari was also one of the most prolific artists of the 16th century. This work depicts Christ in the garden of Gethsemane as he prays to God before his Crucifixion. Christ is the focal point of a triangular composition, with the three Disciples (from the left, Peter, John and Jacob) seen sleeping in the lower section. The dramatic nocturnal light effect and the harshly contrasting colors lend the work a strong sense of tension.

(Source: The Digital Gallery. 1999-2006)