Kruisiging 1480 - 1520

This woodcut print of the Crucifixion was made by an anonymous artist in the Netherlands. Here we see the image of Christ on the cross as a potent and central symbol of Christian belief. Woodcuts such as this were often produced as devotional aids, circulated widely, and used to shape religious thought and experience, especially in the absence of a priest. Notice the skull at the base of the cross. This symbolizes Golgotha, the "place of the skull" where Jesus was crucified, and the woodcut’s stark representation of death is intended to promote deep reflection on mortality. Art historians research such images using theological texts, social histories of religion, and the records of printmaking workshops. In doing so, we begin to understand how art shapes culture and gives visual form to complex systems of belief.