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Musée d’Orsay, Paris, France/Réunion des Musées Nationaux/Art Resource, NY/©2005 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP, Paris

Jesus carries the cross to Golgotha. Two different versions of the same event are depicted in the oil paintings by Italian Gothic artist Simone Martini (1284–1344), and French Symbolist Maurice Denis (1870–1943). The gospels of Mark and Luke provide equally varied versions of the event. In Mark’s gospel, and Simone Martini’s painting, Jesus is mocked by the crowds that line the street.

In Luke’s gospel, and Denis’s painting, Jesus is in control as he heads to his death. The women in the crowd are far more desperate than he. When he sees them wailing and beating their breasts, he tells them not to worry about him, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children” (Luke 23:28).