The Idiot

In Rogozhin's house, Myshkin notices a large portrait of Jesus Christ, The Body of the Dead Christ in the Tomb (1520-1522) by German artist Hans Holbein the Younger. The painting strikes Myshkin because it does not depict Christ in the conventional manner. The long, narrow life-size painting shows a glimpse into Christ’s tomb after the crucifixion. Christ is dead, laying prone on a marble slab with the wounds of his execution still visible. He looks like any dead body, with his mouth open and his eyes rolled upward. The painting draws attention to the human rather than the divine qualities of Jesus Christ, reminding the viewer that of the physical pain and torment of his execution and the finality of his death. In The Idiot, a copy of the painting is hung on the wall on Rogozhin’s dark, shadowy home. As Myshkin leaves Rogozhin’s gloomy home, he is struck by the painting as he believes that it has the power to destroy a person’s religious beliefs. Rogozhin agrees with Myshkin, but he lacks Myshkin’s outrage.

Their reactions to the painting are symbolic demonstrations o’ their similarities and differences. Both men agree that the painting has the power to disavow a person of Christian beliefs, but Myshkin believes this to be an outrage, but Rogozhin believes it to be a matter of course.