Christus op de olijfberg 1509

Lucas van Leyden created this circular drawing, "Christ on the Mount of Olives," using pen and ink. The tonal range from light to dark gray defines the figures and landscape in a scene of emotional intensity. The composition leads our eye in a circular path around the sleeping figures in the foreground to Christ in prayer, framed by a rocky outcrop. Through the arrangement of bodies and the layering of forms, the drawing highlights the psychological distance between Christ and his disciples. There is an emphasis on the human, rather than the divine. Van Leyden uses line and shading to create texture and volume, which invites us to reflect on the relationship between human frailty and spiritual devotion. The circular format, unusual for its time, challenges the traditional rectangular framing of narrative scenes, asking us to consider new ways of seeing and interpreting biblical stories. This challenges established structures of representation.