Christ presented to the People (Ecce Homo)

Correggio's Christ Presented to the People (Ecce Homo, c. 1526) at the Kunsthistorisches Museum depicts Pilate's presentation of the scourged Christ to the crowd with the famous words 'Behold the man' — a subject that concentrated the horror of the Passion into a single moment of public humiliation. Correggio's treatment emphasizes the contrast between Christ's serene dignity and the surrounding figures' indifference or hostility, the Passion's meaning contained in the gap between what is happening and what it means. The work demonstrates his ability to handle the Passion's emotional demands with the same warmth and depth he brought to his devotional Madonnas.

The close-up format focuses attention on Christ's suffering face and wounded body, with Correggio's soft modeling and warm flesh tones creating a poignant contrast between physical beauty and brutal disfigurement.