What Our Lord Saw from the Cross () is an watercolor painting by the French painter James Tissot, from c. 1890. It is held at the Brooklyn Museum, in New YorkJames Tissot: the Life of Christ by Judith F. Dolkart 2009 page 201
History and description The work is unusual for its portrayal of the Crucifixion of Jesus, seen from the perspective of Jesus on the cross, rather than featuring Christ at the center of the work. The scene shows witnesses, including Jesus' followers (the women and the disciple whom Jesus loved), participants, and bystanders; of Jesus' own body only the feet can be seen, at the bottom of the picture, above the distraught Mary Magdalene. Some Jews can be seen on horseback, most likely the Sanhedrin members who decreed his death. Several Roman legionaries guard the scene. In the distance is the entrance to the tomb.
The painting is part of the series The Life of Jesus Christ, a series of 350 watercolors of events from the Gospels completed by Tissot. He prepared for these by extensive travels in the Middle East to study details of contemporary life, which he used in the paintings. Prints were also published of the compositions. The whole watercolor series, completed between 1886 and 1894, was acquired in 1900 by the Brooklyn Museum in New York.
References
External links View from the Cross by Ronald Klip (artbible.info)