Christ in the Desert
1872 · Oil on canvas · State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow
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About this work
- Artist
- Ivan Kramskoi (1837–1887)
- Year
- 1872
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Original size
- 180 × 210 cm
- Collection
- State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow
- Movement
- Realism
Christ sits alone on the stones of a cold desert at dawn, hands clasped and head bowed, after the forty days of fasting and temptation, the horizon a thin band of light behind him. Kramskoi worked on the picture for five years and finished it in 1872; he said he had wanted to paint a man who had decided to do what he had to do, and he avoided every traditional sign of divinity, no halo, no devil, only a figure in a dark robe on grey rock. Shown at the second exhibition of the Peredvizhniki, it was bought by Pavel Tretyakov for six thousand roubles and became the central religious image of Russian realism, admired by Tolstoy and argued over by critics who found it either too human or not human enough. It is in the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.
This exhibition-poster edition shows the whole work beneath original typography set in-house. The original is in the public domain.
Where it works
A solitary figure in a dark robe seated on grey rocks beneath a cold dawn sky, in stone, slate and pale pink, a contemplative painting for a study, reading corner or bedroom at 24×36 in natural wood. Pale grey, stone or soft blue walls suit it; pair it with At Eternity's Gate.
Style, size & framing detail
- Style
- Exhibition poster of a Realism painting
- Era
- 19th century (1872)
- Orientation
- Portrait
- Palette
- cream & beige
- Mood
- grand
- Rooms
- bedroom, study or library, living room, dining room, dorm room
- Good gift for
- housewarming, art lovers
Size. We'd hang this one at 24×36. Prints at 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in — 12×18 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 16×24 above a desk, console or in a hallway; 24×36 as the statement piece above a sofa or bed.
Framing. Exhibition posters sit best in a slim black frame with no mat — the typeset margin is the mat.
Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).
Details & materials
Shipping & returns
Is this the whole painting, or a crop?
Is Christ in the Desert in the public domain?
What is it printed on?
When was Christ in the Desert painted, and in what medium?
What size works above a sofa or bed?
About this design
The Madten promise
A fine-art print
The same artwork as a clean fine-art print — the image shown large with a minimal caption.
