Ecce Homo 16th-17th century

Editor: This is Johann Sadeler's "Ecce Homo," and it's haunting. The figures are so expressive, the textures incredibly detailed, almost painfully so. What strikes you most about this image? Curator: Oh, the sheer drama, darling! It's like a stage play frozen in ink. The composition swirls around Christ, doesn't it? See how Sadeler traps us in the moment of judgment, that pivotal "Behold the Man!" It makes you wonder, doesn't it, about the power of a single phrase to condemn. What do you make of the ornate details? Editor: I see the theatricality, like a set design, but it also feels intensely personal, as if Sadeler is wrestling with his own faith. Curator: Perhaps, or perhaps he’s showing us the universal struggle. It's a dark mirror reflecting our own choices, isn't it? Heavy stuff for an etching, wouldn’t you say?