Christ on the Cross, 1555-62 (black chalk on paper)

This master drawing is part of an extraordinary series of works in which the almost ninety-year old Michelangelo meditates on the crucified Christ whose sufferings are visualised in the intensely worked figure. Rather than being vigorously and firmly delineated, the contours of the body are made of light, overlapping strokes and frequently changed as if the body was eroding and the artist’s hand trembling. The drawing technique thus conveys the frailty of the crucified Christ and provides us with an intimate expression of Michelangelo’s immersion in his Passion during the process of drawing.