The Anastasis
18th century (?)
Chapel of St. Salvador, Ljubljana Cathedral, Ljubljana, Slovenia
In this painting Jesus comes to the underworld to rescue Adam, Eve, King David (in the lower right corner), and the others who were faithful under the Old Testament. In Eastern art this rescue is the usual way of representing the Resurrection, but here the Resurrection is alluded to by Christ's fluttering mantle, a common feature in western Resurrections, which show him emerging triumphant from his tomb.
The painting is most likely from the 18th century, to which most of the other images in the cathedral have been dated. It is clearly a baroque take on the Anastasis type. The figures are dramatically posed and naturalistic. The drama of the broken door in the traditional Anastasis is replaced by the dramatically posed figure of Christ, splendidly lighted yet gaunt from his ordeal on the Cross.
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Read more about The Anastasis or Harrowing of Hell.
Photographed at the cathedral by Richard Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.