Hunter on Horseback Hunting a Wild Boar 1472 - 1553

Lucas Cranach the Elder made this print, Hunter on Horseback Hunting a Wild Boar, using a woodblock. Think of it as the Renaissance equivalent of digital printing. The process involved painstakingly carving an image into a block of wood, leaving a raised surface to hold ink. This was a labor-intensive process, demanding great skill. It could then be printed many times over. Here, the stark contrast between the dark lines and the white paper creates a dramatic scene. Notice how Cranach uses densely packed lines to create depth and texture in the forest, and finer lines to define the figures of the hunter, horse, and boar. Woodcuts like this one played a crucial role in disseminating images and ideas during the Reformation. They democratized art, making it accessible to a wider audience than ever before. The relative ease of production, and the possibility for mass consumption, changed the social dynamics of the art world.