The Betrayal of Christ (n.d., Met-Objekt 292)
Original title: The Betrayal of Christ
kurzbeschreibung
Albrecht Dürer's woodcut "The Betrayal of Christ" (c. 1516) presents the arrest of Jesus. The biblical scene of the kiss of Judas is rendered here as a violent capture by a band of soldiers.
Description
Figures press tightly together: armed men with lances and swords surround Christ, who stands at the center of the sheet. Some wear armor and helmets, others appear in simple robes. Behind the group, a landscape with trees and a hill opens up, where further figures can be made out. Everything remains monochrome and evenly lit, as is typical of woodcut.
Context
Dürer cut this sheet in 1516, when he was deeply engaged with the Passion of Christ. It belongs to a series of woodcuts devoted to Christ's suffering. Such prints reached a wide audience and were intended for religious edification.
Impact
The close-knit group of figures and the threatening weapons evoke a tense, almost oppressive atmosphere. Clear lines and precise execution make the image appear both dramatic and controlled.
Technique
The restriction to a single colour concentrates expression entirely in the sharpness and density of the carved lines, so that the crowding of armoured soldiers and weapons around Christ becomes a taut web of black marks. Without tonal gradation, the even lighting typical of this printmaking method lets every figure and gesture read with the same precise clarity, heightening the dynamic tension of the scene.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)