Pieta 1480

Jean Fouquet painted this *Pieta* using oil on wood, likely in the late 15th century. You might notice the striking realism of Christ's body, made all the more poignant by the careful rendering of the folds of the surrounding garments. Look closely, and you can see the artist's meticulous brushwork. The technique of oil painting, relatively new at this time, allowed Fouquet to build up layers of color, creating subtle shifts in tone and texture. This material realism is significant. Fouquet wasn’t just depicting a religious scene, but also the material reality of suffering and loss, a feeling anyone could relate to. By using this new technique, he could convey a sense of immediacy. Fouquet blurs the line between the sacred and the mundane through his choice of material and the way he uses it. This reminds us that art-making is not just about ideas, but also about the skillful manipulation of materials, a process deeply rooted in both craft and human experience.