Christ Nailed to the Cross, from "The Small Passion"
Original title: Christ Nailed to the Cross, from "The Small Passion"
kurzbeschreibung
Unlike many contemporary Crucifixion images that present the event from a distance, Albrecht Dürer's woodcut 'Christ Being Nailed to the Cross' from the 'Little Passion' (c. 1509) brings the viewer into immediate proximity to Christ's body. Soldiers and other participants crowd around Christ, who lies upon the cross. The print demonstrates Dürer's assured woodcut technique: clearly cut lines and an arrangement thought through in every detail.
Description
Jesus Christ is stretched out on the cross, his arms pulled upward, his body in an attitude of suffering. Around him stand or kneel soldiers with weapons, as well as praying and watching figures. Trees and additional figures fill the rear area. Black on white, lines and hatching model shadows and contours. The layout is tight and rich in detail, with figures looking and acting in various directions.
Context
Created between 1508 and 1510, the 'Little Passion' comprises 37 woodcuts that narrate the suffering of Christ. Dürer worked on it in Nuremberg, where he was already among the leading artists of his day. Conceived as devotional images for a broad public, the series appeared in 1511 with Latin texts. Dürer used the woodcut to disseminate biblical scenes in large numbers.
Impact
Through the dense succession of figures and precise line work, the print feels immediate and insistent. Christ's expressive posture emphasizes his suffering, while the numerous secondary figures heighten the drama. Despite its small format, the woodcut unfolds a monumental presence.
Technique
The sheet is printed with black ink on paper, its lines and cross-hatchings standing out sharply against the light ground and modelling the shadows and spatial depth of the scene. The dense, precise linear structure defines the figures and objects, while the monochrome impression and the condition of the paper determine how the composition reads today.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)