The Small Crucifixion presents Matthias Grünewald’s empathetic portrayal of Christ’s pain and suffering in addition to his triumphs. The dramatic poses of the figures surrounding the cross, as well as the intense colors, emphasize the anguish of the moment. Grünewald also drew on the biblical accounts of this scene, in which Saint Luke described “darkness over all the earth” at the time of Christ’s passing, by depicting a scene plunged into darkness by a solar eclipse.