Spanish school; 19th century.
"Road to Calvary".
Oil on canvas.
Apocryphal signature: Rodríguez de Losada.
Measurements: 169 x 112 cm; 178 x 120 cm (frame).
Exhausted by the blood lost in the scourging, weakened by the physical and moral sufferings that had been inflicted on him the night before, and without having slept, he could hardly take a few steps and soon fell under the weight of the cross. Then followed the blows and imprecations of the soldiers, the expectant laughter of the crowd. Jesus, with all the strength of his will and with all his strength, managed to get up and continue on his way. According to theological interpretations, Jesus invites us by his actions to carry our cross and follow him, he teaches us here that we too can fall, and that we must understand those who fall; that none of us must remain prostrate, we must all get up with humility and trust, seeking his help and forgiveness. This oil on canvas depicts the fall of Jesus on the way to Mount Calvary, overcome by the weight of the cross, and the scene also shows Simon the Cyrenean, who helps him to carry the cross again, although the image of Veronica, who holds the cloth for Jesus to wipe the blood and sweat from his face, does not appear. This is the cloth on which, according to sacred history, Christ's features were miraculously imprinted. Simon the Cyrenian, on the other hand, is like the living image of the disciples of Jesus, who take up their cross and follow him. Moreover, Simon's example invites us to bear one another's burdens in a selfless way, as St. Paul teaches. This is the unified representation, therefore, of the depiction of the fifth station of the Via Crucisa, in which Simon helps Christ with the cross.