About Religious Art

Silent Night Crucifixion of Jesus

Silent Night by christian artist Stephen S. Sawyer is a very unique portrayal of Jesus being crucified on the cross. It is a very dark, sad picture of Jesus; depicting His true pain and suffering when He was crucified, taking on the sins of the world, and feeling the pain and rejection of His Heavenly Father when He cried out “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?

“Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” In Matthew 27:45-46

The artist’s use of dark colors gives this painting a particularly dark, ominuous and even morbid feeling, reminding us of the significance of the crucifixion. The lighter blue colors and stars in the background can be seen as a glimmer of hope, foreshadowing the glorious resurrection that was to come.