Christ Mistreated by Guards, from The Passion of Christ, plate 11 1664

Editor: This is "Christ Mistreated by Guards, from The Passion of Christ, plate 11," an engraving by Grégoire Huret from 1664. The way the artist uses all the lines in this drawing, all the hatching, makes the figures seem to emerge out of darkness, creating a really claustrophobic feeling. What is your interpretation of the engraving’s formal elements? Curator: Observe how Huret meticulously manipulates line and form to guide our gaze. The concentration of hatching around Christ, versus the relatively blank faces of the tormentors, directs the eye to the central figure. The receding spears act as linear perspective elements, paradoxically flattening the picture plane while implying depth. Is there a purpose for this seemingly contradictory strategy, in your view? Editor: It is to increase the claustrophobia! By limiting our sense of space, while maintaining an architectural perspective that alludes to immense space at the periphery! The Baroque really wanted the outside to reflect a disturbed interior life? Curator: Indeed. And note the stark contrast between Christ’s smooth, unblemished skin, achieved through minimal hatching, and the coarse, heavily worked textures representing his tormentors. It isolates his form despite their contact, imbuing him with a sculptural solidity. It uses contrast to give him life! How else does Huret signify Christ's physical and psychological separation from the other men? Editor: He's blindfolded. The lines forming the cloth stand apart from those in other parts of the composition, adding an extra barrier. Curator: Precisely! It encapsulates Christ’s vulnerability within a hostile world, using form as the very substance of expression. A Baroque aesthetic translated. Editor: I will certainly notice how line is made the fundamental narrative! Thanks for your insight. Curator: The exercise invites continued study of Huret’s command, it’s quite compelling!