CRUCIFIXION

DeNiro, Robert Sr. (1922-1993)

Oil

1954

Poindexter Collection

X1974.04.09

This paintubg was the first of dozens of versions of the theme, both oil paintings and watercolors, that the artist made for the remainder of his career, sometimes based on specific Old Master works. It is worth noting that during the 1950s such prominent postwar; avant-garde abstract painters as Mark Rothko, Barnett Newman, and Robert Rauschenberg addressed spiritual awareness in some of their completely abstract art, while museums in Europe and in this country were buying more traditional religious paintings by artists such as Salvador Dali.

Rizzoli Electa. Robert De Niro, Sr. Paintings, Drawings, and Writings: 1942-1993. Charles Miers, 2019.