Kruisiging van Christus 1589 - 1626

This is Bartholomeus Willemsz. Dolendo's engraving, "Crucifixion of Christ," made around the turn of the 17th century. The composition immediately strikes you with its dynamic arrangement of figures and swirling clouds around the cross, all rendered with incredibly fine lines. The artist uses line to create form and texture. Notice how he varies the density and direction of the lines to suggest the different materials: the smoothness of skin, the rough texture of the wood, the billowy forms of the clouds. This is a complex iconographic tableau. The skull at the base suggests mortality while Christ on the cross, bathed in light, is set against a dark sky, a signifier of salvation. Dolendo employs the engraving technique not just to depict, but to interpret the scene. It invites us to reflect on the interplay between death and redemption, rendered through an almost obsessive attention to detail.