Heilige Christoffel aan de oever van een rivier 1504 - 1508

Lucas van Leyden created this engraving, ‘Saint Christopher on the banks of a river’ around 1520. The composition pivots around Saint Christopher, whose form anchors the foreground, while the intricate lines carve out a landscape filled with religious symbolism. Notice how the artist uses hatching and cross-hatching to build texture and depth, particularly in the rendering of the rocks and foliage. The lines not only define form but also direct the viewer's eye through the narrative, from the figure of Christopher to the distant monk. The print’s binary of light and shadow underscores a deeper philosophical contemplation on the nature of faith and doubt. Leyden destabilizes established meanings through his unsettling use of scale, challenging viewers to question their understanding of religious narratives. The formal qualities of this print serve as a visual language that invites ongoing interpretation and re-interpretation.