Jesus Falls the Third Time 1917

Curator: Eric Gill's wood engraving, "Jesus Falls the Third Time," presents a moment of profound physical and spiritual exhaustion. Editor: The stark contrast just hits you, doesn't it? It’s all dark shadows and then these bursts of light, like little sparks of hope in the middle of despair. Curator: Absolutely. Gill, deeply involved in the Arts and Crafts movement, used the reductive nature of wood engraving to create a powerful social commentary. Note the stark black and white, the simplified forms – everything pushes the viewer to consider the labor and the weight of the cross. Editor: And the fallen figure! It feels so immediate, so human. The way he's crumpled, almost broken – it's a moment we can all relate to, that feeling of being utterly overwhelmed. Curator: Gill's commitment to craft becomes a form of empathy, doesn’t it? He highlights not only Christ's suffering, but the broader human capacity to endure under oppressive systems. Editor: I think that focus on the physical really brings the emotional and spiritual weight home. It’s a small print, but it holds so much. Curator: Indeed, in its depiction of the body under stress, it reminds us how connected we are through labor and suffering. Editor: It's a reminder that even in the darkest of times, something can be made, can be expressed.