Christus predikt c. 1661

This is a 17th-century print, made by an artist known only as Monogrammist GK. It shows Christ preaching, rendered through the graphic medium of a woodcut. To produce this image, the artist painstakingly carved away the areas around the lines, leaving a raised surface to be inked and printed. The process is inherently laborious and invites a graphic style, built from accumulations of parallel lines. Look closely at the figures, the folds in their robes, and the trees in the background, and you can appreciate the remarkable level of detail achieved. Woodcut printing was crucial in disseminating images and ideas during the early modern period, offering a relatively inexpensive means of reproduction. The crisp lines and bold contrasts of the woodcut, combined with the texture of the paper, give the print a tactile quality. This speaks to the essential role of craft in shaping our understanding of art and its connection to wider social life.