Entry into Jerusalem

Weight’s Entry into Jerusalem tells the story of the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, as recorded in all four canonical gospels. Jesus can be identified in the centre of the scene riding through the city on a donkey, and surrounded by a bustling crowd. As characteristic of Weight however, the artist translates this age-old narrative into a contemporary suburban setting; a busy procession of working class men and women. For Weight, the modern town provided the perfect stage for his imaginative and theatrical compositions. As Weight once said, ‘I aim to create a world superficially close to the visual one but a world of greater tension and drama’.

Weight produced several works like this; theological in narrative but transposed into a modern register. Although not a particularly religious man himself, he became preoccupied with religious themes in the late 1950s to the 1960s. He noted that ‘Religion itself isn’t that important to me, but it provides one with wonderful themes’ (C. Weight, quoted in R.V. Weight, Carel Weight: A Haunted Imagination, Newton Abbot, 1994, p. 65). In particular, Weight cited the influence of fellow English painter Sir Stanley Spencer on his work, an artist celebrated primarily for his biblical paintings which were set in the small Thames-side village of Cookham, his birthplace and home for the majority of his life. Certainly this can be felt in Weight’s reformulation of biblical scenes. Of particularly high acclaim was his depiction of The Crucifixion, which was painted in 1958, and bears a number of similarities to the present work. Weight narrates the story here using a more colloquial artistic vocabulary, whilst still maintaining the monumental scale of grand religious paintings from the art historical past. Similarly, standing over two metres tall, and almost a metre wide, the scale of Entry into Jerusalem almost evokes the image of an altar piece in a Cathedral, giving the work a sense of grandeur. Indeed, it was through the success of key works such as these that Weight gained one of his most prominent commissions to paint a mural for Manchester Cathedral in 1968.

At first glance, Entry into Jerusalem is a celebratory painting; bunting strung on high, energetic crowds and an angel floating above with a trumpet to announce the arrival of Christ. However, on closer viewing, the depiction becomes increasingly haunting, with dark shadowy figures and somber faces looking on. Here, Weight demonstrates his ability to create heightened tension and drama within his work, effectively leaving the viewer with a sense of unease. However, Entry to Jerusalem reveals not only Weight’s ability as a skilled draughtsman, but also an impressive command of composition and colour. The tension of this triumphant yet haunting scene is reflected in the colour palette; lively bright bunting against the backdrop of a throng of gloomy workers. Throughout his career, he maintained a strong literary element in his work, and was praised by contemporaries as both skilled illustrator and story teller. Here, he exploits one of the most enduring tales of all time, whilst also maintaining uniqueness, presenting a story that has been narrated for centuries in a new and original way.