Ecce Homo c. 1440 - 1450

This 'Ecce Homo', of unknown date and authorship, is made with ink and watercolor on paper. The drawing is basic, the paper coarse, the coloring slapdash, and the lines are blocky. It is clearly not an artwork made for a wealthy patron. The traditional method was to use a quill to trace the lines and a brush for the pigment – although the drawing appears to be hurried. The economy of the materials speaks volumes, as does the image itself. Jesus is shown during his trial, with the jeering crowd baying for his blood. This is an image of violence, class division, and the manipulation of justice. You can almost hear the crowd roaring in the background. Ultimately, the starkness of this work, its material poverty, only sharpens its message. This is a raw, direct, and brutally effective piece of image-making. It challenges our assumptions about what art can be, and who it is for.