Keith Cunningham’s series of crucifixion and cross drawings stands as a sharp exploration of one of the most potent symbols in Western visual culture. Removed from any religious context, these works approach the crucifix not as a sacred icon, but as a formal and psychological structure, a point of tension around which human experience is quietly but powerfully examined. Stripped of narrative, Cunningham reduces the cross to its essential geometry. In his hands, it is neither devotional nor decorative; it becomes a framework of balanced lines. The drawings are generally minimal, often rendered in graphite and ink, but they carry a distinct weight. Lines are quickly scored, creating surfaces that feel both deliberate and restrained. The cross appears not as a symbol to be revered, but as a shape to be questioned and tested.

This repetition is central to Cunningham’s approach. Each drawing is a variation, a reconsideration of the form, its proportions, its pressure on the space around it. The works are quiet but intense, built from an economy of means that highlights Cunningham’s control and precision. Yet they remain open: unresolved, suspended between abstraction and reference, structure and meaning. While some artists use religious imagery to affirm belief, Cunningham uses it to reflect on fragility, presence and the persistence of unresolved questions. The crucifix, in his hands, is neither salvation nor condemnation, but a site of ongoing enquiry. These drawings mark one of the most austere and contemplative strands of his practice.