Gruyère exhibition examines significance of the Cross

Many interpretations of the Crucifixion are on display Keystone Archive

An art exhibition devoted to various interpretations of the Cross is being held in the medieval castle at Gruyère in Canton Fribourg.

Entitled “The Wooden Cross”, it takes a broad look at the significance of one of the oldest and most potent symbols of mankind. Most – but by no means all – of the woodcuts, drawings and paintings concentrate on the Crucifixion, and many are the work of local artists.

One of them, Jacques Cesa, conceived the idea of such a theme four years ago. “It has taken all that time to get all these pictures together,” says Anita Petrovsky, an art historian who helped organise the exhibition. “Of course, most of them relate to the Crucifixion of Christ and his agony on the Cross.

“But it should also be remembered that the Cross was a symbol long before the Crucifixion. For example, with its double junction of diametrically opposed points, it signified the unity of extremes such as the sky and the earth.”

Petrovsky said that although some pictures seem to have no connection with Christ they still have a certain spirituality, and it will be up to visitors to make their own interpretations of what was intended by the artists.

The exhibition ends on May 20.

swissinfo