Christ on the Cross with Angels Why is the red for the blood different than the red of the cloth? The red paint used to depict Christ’s blood often was made from a pigment that was different from the other red paints applied to the print, such as the red of St. John’s and the angels’ cloaks. The color variation suggests that the depiction of Christ’s blood had a special, sacramental value. See what the print would have looked like without the red paint. Back