Matthias Grünewald, Isenheim Altarpiece, view in the chapel of the Hospital of Saint Anthony, Isenheim, Germany, c. 1510-15, oil on wood, 9' 9 1/2" x 10' 9"
This altarpiece that is considered the epitome of the sculpted wooden altarpiece that were very popular in Germany during the Northern Renaissance. This piece was custom designed to house the gilded statues of Saint Anthony, Saint Jerome and Augustine carved by Nicholas of Hagenau. Though these sculptures are not particularly skillful the gold covering makes them a sight to behold. At the bottom of the center that is oft obscured is of Jesus and the apostles. On the sides when it is fully open show St. Anthony being visited by Paul, who was the original hermit saint, and being tormented by purposefully disgusting animal- demon hybrids which represent the temptations he faced while wandering in the desert. When it is in the second position the panels depict the life of Christ in a dramatic fashion, in many ways baroque but if everything was bright instead of dark: imperfect depictions of human figures and emotional, dramatic use of lighting. The bottom panel depicts the lamentation but has the darkness of when the panel is completely closed. When the panel is closed it depicts a poxed Jesus dying on the cross with portraits of Saint Jerome and Saint Anthony Abbot on the sides that are slightly brighter than the very dark crucifixion.
This altarpiece was designed to the detailed specifications of the Order of Monks that ran the hospital that specialized in skin diseases. The Order’s patron saint is none other than Saint Anthony who is the most prominent gilded statue and the primary subject of the side panels when fully opened. The reason why his scenes are so vivid is because he is the patron saint of skin conditions which were often treated with Ergotism, which contains the drug LSD, to add that hallucinatory aspect. However, the most prominent proof that the monks had complete and total control over the artistic creativity in this altarpiece is through the portrayal of the deceased Jesus, who is sickly green and covered in pockmarks. Many of the hospital’s patients had skin diseases very similar to what Jesus is portrayed as having. The fact that Jesus, the most important human to have ever been associated with the Christian religion, is portrayed as pockmarked to reflect the specifications of the monks shows the prominence of the hospital and the monks at this time.