Judas' regret (1880) by Almeida Júnior

In Judas' Regret (1880), Almeida Júnior captures the anguished moment when Judas Iscariot is consumed by the weight of his betrayal. Slumped against a stone wall, isolated and tormented, Judas holds his head in despair while coins (thirty pieces of silver) lay scattered at his feet, a stark symbol of the price for which he betrayed Jesus. His expression and posture reveal a man overwhelmed by remorse. Just days earlier, he handed over his teacher, never imagining that it would lead to crucifixion. In the background, barely visible yet unmistakably powerful, three crosses rise on the hill of Golgotha, confirming that it is already too late.

Judas had tried to undo what he had done. He returned the money, pleaded with the temple priests, but his actions could not be reversed. Jesus had been condemned, the crowd had chosen, and the judgment was final. Almeida Júnior doesn't portray Judas as a villain here, but rather as a tragic figure, broken by guilt and desperate for forgiveness he believes is out of reach. The painting becomes a meditation on regret and the human longing for redemption, forcing us to ask: can someone ever fall so far that grace cannot find them?