One of the leading artists in sixteenth-century Antwerp, Joos combined such stylized and decorative elements as the arabesque flutter of Christ's loincloth with naturalistic details, including the greenish pallor of Christ's flesh. The weighty fall of the Virgin's cloak emphasizes her restrained grief, while Saint John's drapery reflects his agitation. Rather than rendering such details as the tiny party departing from the scene less distinctly to show that they are far away, Joos used color to demarcate distance-brown for the foreground, green for the middle ground, and blue for the background.

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