De Perzische Sibille 1782

John B. Skippe created this print, “De Perzische Sibille,” using a chiaroscuro woodcut, a technique employing tonal contrasts between light and dark to model three-dimensional volume. Notice how Skippe has rendered the composition; it’s built upon a play of light and shadow that models the folds of the Sibyl’s robes and defines the background figures. The graphic quality of the line is striking. It’s used not just to outline shapes but also to create texture and depth. The formal rigor in Skippe’s treatment of line and form can be understood through the lens of structuralism. Here, each stroke functions as a sign, contributing to a larger semiotic system. The choice of the Sibyl as subject matter—a figure associated with prophecy—introduces an element of the uncanny. This challenges fixed meanings, inviting us to consider the layered interpretations of the image, beyond its aesthetic qualities. Art, therefore, becomes a site of continuous re-evaluation.