Began to build a vessel of huge bulk 

Gustave Doré made this print, “Began to build a vessel of huge bulk,” sometime in the 19th century, using the technique of wood engraving. Doré’s image presents Noah’s Ark as a massive feat of pre-industrial engineering. Look closely, and you’ll see men struggling to lift timbers, dwarfed by the immensity of the structure. The labor is clearly backbreaking, and the tools appear primitive. There's a contrast here; we have the earliest of technologies— the lever, the saw, human muscle— being put to the service of a divine project. The medium of wood engraving itself speaks to this tension. Though capable of capturing fine detail, it is inherently a laborious, even brutal process. This is very different from a quick sketch or painting; it is a craft that demands patience and physical exertion. In a way, Doré’s choice of this medium mirrors the epic task he depicts. Ultimately, Doré reminds us that even the most divinely inspired visions must be realized through earthly means, with all the sweat and toil that implies.