Christ on the Mount of Olives c. 1490

This print, Christ on the Mount of Olives, was made by an anonymous artist, and we can see the material processes at play in its very form. It's a woodcut, meaning the artist carved the image into a block of wood, likely using knives and gouges. The areas that are cut away don’t receive ink, leaving the design to stand in relief. Consider the deep lines that define the figures and landscape; these wouldn't be possible with a brush. The wood’s grain runs vertically, adding a subtle texture to the whole image. Then, someone painstakingly applied color by hand. Woodcuts like this were relatively inexpensive to produce, so prints like this had a devotional purpose for widespread audiences. Think about how much labor went into this, not only the cutting of the block, but also the repetitive printing. It’s a reminder that even seemingly simple images are the result of considerable craft and dedication, blurring the boundaries between art, labor, and the economics of belief.