Christ Washing His Disciples Feet Analysis

Jacopo Robusti, known as Tintoretto, was a famous Italian artist, born in Venice, Italy in c. 1518, and died in 1594 in Venice. He created many well-known paintings, such as Christ Washing His Disciples’ Feet and The Last Supper. He is known for large canvas paintings and for using dark dramatic lighting and space. One of Tintoretto’s masterpieces, Christ Washing His Disciples’ Feet is an oil on canvas painting that is approximately154.9 x 407.4 cm, which was created around 1545-1555. This painting is located in the Art Gallery of Ontario.
Christ Washing His Disciples’ Feet is based off of Christian beliefs that Christ washed his disciples’ feet after The Last Supper. There are many elements of art that are shown within this art piece, that

all connect together. The aspects of form that connect the most within this piece of art are colour, lines, space and texture. These elements have a great effect on the artwork and are used to create particular effects. Therefore, using these four formal elements from the piece of art, the artist is trying to convey realistic details and make the viewer feel as though you are in the scene.
One aspect of form that effects the artwork is colour.

Colour is the light reflected off of objects and is categorized by hue, value and intensity. Hue is the name of the colour shown, value is how light or dark it is, and intensity is how bright or dull it is. The main hue’s shown in this painting are red, white and gold. The colour red on the people’s clothes really showcases the people and makes them the main focus of the painting. Specifically, Christ and his disciple’s in the foreground of the painting are really showcased through the colour of their clothing. Also, the white contrasts with the red, showcasing the white tablecloth, the white pillars in the background, the white apron around Christ’s waist, and the dog sitting in the front. The value of the colours throughout the art piece are all very dark, making the piece very gloomy and intense. The dark colours, as well as the darkness coming in from both sides of the painting make the painting very expressive. The deep red colour really captures the expression and meaning behind the washing of the disciples’ feet. The colours overall are not very vibrant, but very dull, which also showcases the expression around the painting and how intense the scene is. Therefore, through the formal element of colour, the artist is trying to express the realism of the

painting.
Although colour effects the artwork greatly, another element that connects with colour are lines. A line is a mark that can differ in length and width and can be horizontal, vertical, diagonal, thick, thin, straight, or curved. There are many different lines shown within the art piece. The frame is wide and rectangular as well as the canvas, that really shows the straight horizontal and vertical lines put together. However, within the painting itself, there are lines that relate to the other formal elements. For example, the table and chair legs are very angular, straight, and thick, helping to draw attention to the washing of feet and the people surrounding the table. Also, the pillars, walls, and carpet even show lines and are very straight. Another place where lines are very prevalent in the painting are the people’s bodies, specifically their arms, legs and backs. For example, Christ’s arm washing the disciple’s feet is very diagonal and curved line, as well as the man’s leg in the left corner drying his feet. These lines direct the viewer to the main focus of the painting, which are the people, specifically Christ. Therefore, both aspects of form, colour and lines, connect together to communicate to the viewer how realistic the scene is.
As well, another aspect of form that relates to both colour and line that connects the underlying meaning is space. Space is referred to as depth, negative space or space around objects within artwork. Space is a very important aspect shown within this piece of art. The depth is shown through the room in the painting, as I believe the artist intended to make the room look three dimensional and very long and large. For example, at the far back of the painting, you can see pillars and people standing, as if the room is very large and open. Also, in the background there is a horizon and large white building, making it seem as though the painting keeps extending into the distance. Another example is the man in the left corner drying his feet and Christ in the right corner washing his disciples’ feet. Both people seem to stand out as they are in the foreground, and make it seem like the room is very large. The artist wanted to highlight Christ washing their feet, which helped through adding space and depth in the art. Also, the dog and the rest of the people around the table and on the ground really show the negative space around them. Specifically, there are a few people that are in a mid fall and leaning on chairs, which shows the gravity and negative space around them.
Furthermore, another element of art that connects to the other three forms within the painting is texture. Texture is the outer quality that we feel and see and can be classified as rough, smooth, hard, and soft. This painting shows many textures through the people’s clothing. Most of the clothing looks very smooth and soft, as well as the table cloth. Also, the textures of the men’s hair and beards, specifically the people in the foreground of the painting, are very rough. This element connects greatly with colour and lines, as the artist uses colours and lines to create the textures. Therefore, using the elements, colour, lines and space, the artists creates textures to make the painting more realistic for the viewer.
Tintoretto’s art piece titled Christ Washing His Disciples’ Feet shows many different elements of art throughout the painting. The four main elements, colour, line, space and texture connect together to create the realistic effect and passion of the painting. Therefore, the artist used these elements of art to convey the effect of the painting being realistic for the viewer.