“Christ on the Mount of Olives” was painted as a wedding gift for Čiurlionis' sister Juzė (from the memoirs of Juzė Čiurlionytė; M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art, Archive of the Čiurlionis Department. Typed manuscript, p. 9).

The almost unchanging iconographic scheme of the prayer on the Mount of Olives was formed back in the age of the Renaissance. Christ is typically depicted kneeling on a rocky hillside. Three of Christ's disciples – Peter, Jacob, and John – lie nearby. The city of Jerusalem can be seen in the distance.

However, Čiurlionis chose to portray a less developed narrative. In “Christ on the Mount of Olives”, he forgoes the literal representation of the biblical tale and only depicts Christ's figure kneeling on the hill. The latter is portrayed with elongated proportions (with the hands especially distorted), idealized in compliance with the iconographic portrayal of the scene: long wavy hair, a beard, a saintly face and a glowing halo. Čiurlionis does not emphasize the oscillation between two natures, instead accentuating Christ's concentration in prayer.

“Christ on the Mount of Olives” is typical religious painting on this theme. As a free-style reproduction, it is not characterized by much imagination. The artist must have had another purpose in mind when choosing to create a traditional composition in a traditional style.

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Deluge. IV from the cycle of 5 paintings

Christ at the Mountain of Olives