Christus in de onderwereld 1813 - 1880

Editor: We're looking at "Christus in de onderwereld," or "Christ in the Underworld," an engraving created between 1813 and 1880 and now held at the Rijksmuseum. It’s a pretty intense scene…almost theatrical in the way it's staged. Christ, bathed in light, reaches out to figures trapped in darkness with demonic figures. It reminds me of a morality play. What's your interpretation of this piece? Curator: It’s more than theatrical, I think – it's an opera in paper and ink! It reminds me of William Blake by way of a Hieronymus Bosch nightmare. It takes courage to venture down to hell, confront our demons and liberate them from what cages them, wouldn’t you say? What's more remarkable here, I feel, is that the "demons" wear expressions that resemble anguish rather than menace. Editor: That's a great point! They do seem more desperate than evil, like they are appealing for salvation. What about the Grim Reaper figure looming in the background, with his hood and scythe, what does that evoke? Curator: Well, on one level it serves to provide context, indicating we are in some kind of an infernal domain. Yet this is not a depiction of judgment as traditionally conveyed. There’s the sense of divine intervention as an act of compassion. Look at the faces of the damned as they seem to crave the touch of salvation! So much suffering, made real in every painstaking line of this engraving... It makes you wonder about our contemporary understanding of divine forgiveness. Editor: I see that now, that shift in perspective. It’s less about damnation and more about an opportunity for redemption, even in the darkest depths. Thanks, I definitely see so much more in this work now. Curator: And now I see what an undergrad brings to the table. Another fresh way of considering grace in the face of hell. Thank you.