Die Hungrigen speisen_ Eine Frau verteilt Brote an drei Bettler, einen Pilger und ein Kind 

Sebald Beham created this drawing, “Die Hungrigen speisen,” sometime between 1500 and 1550 with pen and brown ink. The arc shape contains a composition teeming with figures—a woman distributing bread from overflowing baskets to a group of supplicants. This creates a scene of communal exchange. The artist uses the contrast between the static figure of the woman and the dynamic poses of those receiving her charity to create a point of visual interest. Beham uses line to construct the figures and define their emotional states. The stark lines create defined forms, but the overall composition has a softness, which serves to highlight the empathetic themes and imbue the scene with a sense of humanity. The scene’s construction speaks to the artist's engagement with the socio-economic and religious discourses that inform the subject matter. Beham uses the formal structure to convey the act of charity as a social and spiritual transaction, reflecting on the broader cultural values of his time. The piece functions as both an aesthetic object and a moral statement.