Christ Taking Leave from his Mother, from "The Small Passion"
Original title: Christ Taking Leave from his Mother, from "The Small Passion"
kurzbeschreibung
This woodcut by Albrecht Dürer, dating to around 1508, depicts the farewell between Christ and his mother, a scene from his Passion narrative. It is part of the print series known as "The Small Passion."
Description
In the foreground, Christ stands with his hands raised, wearing a long-sleeved robe and a cloak, while his mother, to the left, holds his arm and looks at him sorrowfully. She is dressed in a long garment and a head covering. Behind them, a rustic house sits among trees and a landscape, with additional figures and a city skyline punctuated by church towers in the distance. The woodcut uses vertical lines to model shadows and leaves lighter areas to suggest light, giving the scene a clear sense of depth and structure.
Context
Dürer created "The Small Passion" as a series of woodcuts illustrating the Passion of Christ, published as a book in 1511. This particular scene, though not directly from the canonical Gospels, was a common subject in late medieval piety, emphasizing the human bond between Christ and his mother. Dürer's work was highly influential, and the series was widely circulated, contributing to the spread of his artistic ideas across Europe.
Impact
The composition conveys a quiet, intimate tension between the figures, balanced by the detailed landscape that frames their farewell. Dürer's precise linework gives the scene a solemn, monumental quality, making the emotional moment feel both personal and universal.
Technique
The work is a woodcut, a relief printing technique where the image is carved into a wooden block, inked, and pressed onto paper. Dürer's mastery of the medium is evident in his use of varied line widths and cross-hatching to create texture, volume, and atmospheric effects, all within the constraints of a single-color print.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public domain (CC0)