Oprichting van het kruis 1608 - 1650

Pierre Brebiette created this small engraving, “Raising of the Cross,” sometime between 1618 and 1642. As a Baroque artist, Brebiette was swept up in the era's dramatic flair and religious intensity, very much visible here. What’s striking is how this image distills not just a religious event, but also comments on power, violence, and the body. We see the labor of several men struggling to lift the cross, their bodies contorted with effort, while armed figures on horseback oversee the grim task. Christ's body, vulnerable and exposed, becomes a focal point of suffering. This reflects not only the physical torment of the crucifixion but also the social and political implications of such a public display of brutality. In a society deeply stratified by class, the act of raising the cross is both a spectacle of power and a raw display of physical labor, highlighting the disparities and injustices of the time. The image invites us to reflect on how such scenes of suffering and dominance continue to resonate in our own world.