Saint Sebastian c. 1480

This is an anonymous woodcut depicting Saint Sebastian. The artist uses a dense network of hatched lines to create forms. Notice how the lines carve out space, defining the figures, the landscape, and even the sky with the same graphic intensity. The composition is strikingly divided, with Saint Sebastian bound to a tree on the left, and his executioners grouped tightly on the right. This division creates a tension, a visual push and pull between the victim and his tormentors. The linear quality of the woodcut emphasizes stark contrasts. Light and shadow play across the figures. Saint Sebastian's body is rendered with a delicate, almost ethereal quality. In contrast, the executioners appear more solid, their forms defined by darker, heavier lines, giving them a sense of weight and menace. The woodcut's graphic style, with its emphasis on line and form, invites us to consider the deeper structures of power and representation within this scene. It is a graphic depiction of a narrative, capturing the aesthetic and intellectual currents of its time.