As a child I was very afraid of the stations of the cross in our Catholic Church.
Then, as I attended elementary school, Friday afternoon stations of the cross was school policy. It was very hot in this church in the spring in the days before air conditioning. The heat, Philadelphia humidity, the monotony, and the ever present torture being presented by the priest....was more oppressive that I have words to describe.
And how do you think Our Lord felt? Was He not hot? Was He not thirsty? Was He not uncomfortable?
I remember when the third person of the Trinity was changed from Holy Ghost to Holy Spirit. Our catechist claimed children were afraid of ghosts, so "spirit" was better. Funny, I think kids had a lot less to be afraid of 40 years ago than today.
Point made, I think the subject crucifix was a deliberately hideous Modernist monstrosity and I am glad they took it down.