The Mass of Saint Gregory 1470 - 1480

This anonymous woodcut titled *The Mass of Saint Gregory* uses a vibrant palette of colors, from deep reds and greens to earthy browns and yellows, to create a visually striking narrative. The composition is vertically stacked, with the saint positioned centrally before an altar, drawing our eye to the spectacle of the mass unfolding around him. The woodcut's linear structure and its arrangement of shapes work together to create a sense of both depth and compression. The use of line not only defines form but also creates a graphic quality, typical of the woodcut medium. The visual effect of the piece—the use of flat planes of color, and the deliberate patterning of lines—flattens the representational space of the image. This artwork functions as a devotional image and also prompts questions about representation, mediation, and the unseen forces at work during sacred rituals. The formal qualities of this piece invite us to consider how images convey meaning.