Our Father Jesus of Nazareth

The arms on this figure of Jesus can be positioned to represent different episodes from the Passion, such as the scourging at the pillar, the presentation of Christ, and the deposition from the Cross. The image of the scourged Jesus was an important one to a group called Los Hermanos Penitentes (the Penitent Brothers), because they believed it represented the pain of human existence. In this piece, José Ortega painted Jesus’s wounds a vivid red to emphasize the extent of his suffering. The Penitentes carry figures like this through the small towns of New Mexico and Southern California during Holy Week to remind them of Jesus’s sacrifice.