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. (Full article...)
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 7005989417000000000♠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 7000120000000000000♠1.2% of the state's land mass but are home to 7001538000000000000♠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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