Crucifixion 

Samuel van Hoogstraten made this sketch of the Crucifixion in the Netherlands in the 17th century. It speaks to the complex relationship between religion, art, and society during the Dutch Golden Age. The sketch, with its rough lines and unfinished quality, hints at the artist's process and the institutional context of artistic training. Such a sketch may have been practice for history painting, which was considered to be at the top of the hierarchy of genres at the time. But in the protestant Netherlands, large scale religious imagery was discouraged in churches, leading artists to explore new subjects. To understand the full meaning of this piece, we can turn to historical sources such as period writings on art theory or church sermons. This sketch is not just a religious image, it's a product of its specific cultural and institutional environment.