Ecce homo 1440 - 1503

Curator: This engraving is titled "Ecce Homo," made by Israhel van Meckenem sometime between 1440 and 1503. Editor: Oh, my, the crowd is not buying it. They look rabid, practically vibrating with scorn! It makes me a little nauseous. The detail feels so…clinical? Curator: Yes, it's a striking portrayal of the moment Pontius Pilate presents a scourged Jesus to the crowd, uttering the Latin phrase "Ecce Homo"—"Behold the Man." Meckenem's print, now part of the SMK's collection, reveals much about the Northern Renaissance style. It reflects contemporary views on piety, justice, and social order. The distribution of printed images played a significant role in disseminating such narratives. Editor: Narrative indeed. It's not just a passive beholding. It is a vicious spectacle, framed with an architectural backdrop that feels brutally unsentimental. And that chained figure…is it meant to mirror Christ's predicament somehow? It is disturbing on a deep level! It feels less like religious art and more like some proto-expressionist howl. Curator: The additional figure could be intended to broaden the understanding of Christ's suffering. What appears initially to be history painting possesses a psychological and spiritual intensity too, that encourages deeper reflection on morality, punishment and redemption. Look how each person has been individualised, how social status and moral attitude is manifest through their expression. Editor: Yes, now that I am dwelling on it, the artistry is superb, so technically adept! Still, I'm left unsettled by the pure…hate distilled on some of those faces. Is this how we saw ourselves then? Or perhaps how the artist saw society? Curator: It reveals the multifaceted role of images and anxieties around public authority during the early modern period. Thank you for your insights, they demonstrate that these images speak to a modern audience despite the historical distance. Editor: And thank you, this print holds a mirror to some disturbing corners of humanity; both then and, I suspect, now. Let's move on, shall we?