Jesus before Annas 1644 - 1652

Editor: Here we have Wenceslaus Hollar’s “Jesus Before Annas,” made between 1644 and 1652 using ink in an engraving and drawing. The starkness of the black lines gives the piece a very dramatic feel, a kind of graphic intensity. What strikes you most about this piece? Curator: The means of production are everything here. Hollar, through the precise, laborious process of engraving, recreates a scene of authority and persecution. Consider the social context: prints like these were commodities, circulated and consumed. It's not just about religious narrative, but the act of reproducing and disseminating that narrative through labor and material means. Editor: That makes sense. So, you're focusing on the engraving as a form of mass production in its own right? Curator: Exactly. We must consider how the materiality of the print – the paper, the ink, the very act of pressing the image – transforms the spiritual subject. The act of producing and consuming religious imagery becomes almost… secularized through this process. Editor: Almost like it makes it more of an object, and less of an untouchable holy image. What do you make of the figure of Annas and his elaborate garments in the engraving? Curator: Observe the textiles represented. Annas is defined by these swathes of draped cloth, signaling status and wealth acquired and performed materially, which makes a strong statement about power structures of the time, particularly the opulence associated with religious authority. This work almost encourages a challenge to boundaries between ‘high’ religious art and, what some consider, a lesser form. It uses those garments and its materiality to undermine Annas, and the Church as a whole. Editor: It's amazing to consider how much the choice of material and reproduction impacts the meaning itself. Curator: Absolutely. Analyzing the art this way opens up entirely new conversations about art's role within a society. Thank you for raising this thought-provoking discussion.