The Crucifix by Cimabue at Santa Croce is a large wooden
crucifix painted c. 1265, one of two attributed to the
Florentine painter and
mosaicistCimabue. Painted in
distemper, it was commissioned by the
Franciscanfriars of
Santa Croce and is built from a complex arrangement of timber boards. Displaying technical innovations and
humanistic iconography, it is one of the first Italian artworks to break from the late medieval
Byzantine style. The
gilding and monumentality of the cross link it to the Byzantine tradition. Christ's static pose is reflective of this style, while the work overall incorporates newer, more
naturalistic aspects. It presents a lifelike and physically imposing depiction of the
passion at Calvary. Christ is shown nearly naked: his eyes are closed, his face lifeless and defeated. His body slumps in a position contorted by prolonged agony and pain. The painting is a graphic and unflinching portrayal of human suffering, and has influenced painters from
Michelangelo to
Francis Bacon. It has been in the
Basilica di Santa Croce since the late 13th century, and at the museum at Santa Croce since restoration following
flooding of the Arno in 1966. (
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1944 – The freighter
SS Fort Stikine, carrying a mixed cargo of cotton bales, gold and ammunition, exploded in the harbour in
Bombay, India, sinking surrounding ships and killing about 800 people.
1967 – After leading a military coup three months earlier, Gnassingbé Eyadéma(pictured) installed himself as
President of Togo, a post which he held until 2005.
The U.S. state of Montana contains 129 incorporated municipalities consisting of cities and towns and is divided into 56
counties. Located in the
Western United States,
Montana is the
7th least populous state with 989,417 inhabitants but the
4th largest by land area spanning 145,545.80 square miles (376,961.9 km2) of land. Montana's
municipalities cover only 1.2% of the state's land mass but are home to 53.8% of its population. Municipalities are divided into four classes by state
statute based on their population. Members of the three largest classes are deemed
cities, while the members of the fourth class are called
towns. Cities and towns are classified at the time of their organization, and are reorganized when they change classification due to an increase or decrease in population. The largest municipality by population in Montana is
Billings(pictured) with 104,170 residents, and the smallest municipality by population is
Ismay with 19 residents. (Full list...)
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