Christus in de Hof van Olijven 1580 - 1634

Pieter de Jode the Elder created "Christ in the Garden of Olives" using pen and brown ink with brush in grey, around the late 16th or early 17th century. The composition arranges figures within a somber, muted palette, evoking a sense of solemnity. The artist uses line and shadow to define forms, creating a dramatic contrast between light and dark that heightens the emotional intensity. We see Christ kneeling, an angel offering him a cross, and his disciples sleeping, all rendered with fluid lines and subtle tonal variations. This work plays with spatial relationships, compressing foreground and background to emphasize the psychological tension. The strategic placement of figures and the use of linear perspective guide our eyes, yet the overall effect destabilizes traditional notions of depth. Here, de Jode transforms a biblical narrative into a study of form and emotional expression.