Christ Bearing the Cross - Bartolome Esteban Murillo

This deeply moving painting by spanish artist Bartolome Murillo is the finest examples of this sacred moment: The Meeting of Mother and Divine Son. Mary's angelic face is encased in pure light while Christ's face reflects her light but in a softer manner indicative of his physical sufferings and what he as already endured for the redemption of mankind.

Murillo has transformed what is typically depicted as a crowded scene into a private encounter between the Virgin and her son, thereby heightening the scene's emotional content and its impact on the viewer.