User talk:Ceoil/1

The Crucifixion wing is divided into three horizontal sections, a device used by van Eyck to organise the scene in a structure that would 'fit' into the oblong format traditionally used in Last Judgement panels. In the foreground, relatives and saints closely connected to Jesus are huddled together, lamenting and mourning. The mid-ground contains a mixture of onlookers and military personnel, while the three crosses in the lower background are positioned before a panoramic and detailed view of Jerusalem, which is shown below high and distant clouds. Christ hangs naked on the cross, his body pierced by a lance. The thief to the left hangs stiff and lifeless, while the crucified man to the right contorts in agony, writhing in the last moments of life. The right hand Last Judgement is similarly divided into horizontal planes into which the figures are placed to reflect their proximity to God. The lower section shows the damned banished to hell, the narrow centre band depicts those resurrected from the dead and about to be judged, while the upper section is a representation of Christ in Majesty surrounded by a Great Deësis of saints and angels.