Gastmahl im Haus des Zöllners Matthäus 

Johann Wolfgang Baumgartner created this drawing, "Gastmahl im Haus des Zöllners Matthäus," with pen and gray ink, heightened with white, on gray paper. The composition immediately strikes the viewer as an interplay of vertical architectural elements and the horizontal table, creating a structured yet dynamic space. Baumgartner uses contrasting light and shadow to guide the eye, highlighting the central figures and intensifying the emotional tenor of the depicted feast. The artist uses the architectural backdrop not just as a setting but as a structural metaphor, reflecting the social hierarchies and established orders of his time. Note how the use of light and shadow emphasizes the interplay of form and void, questioning fixed meanings and inviting a re-evaluation of perception. The drawing destabilizes conventional interpretations through its rigorous formal structure. It serves as an invitation to continually question and reinterpret the cultural codes embedded within the artwork's visual language.