Christ Tells His Disciples of the Last Judgment Possibly 1630

Christoph Murer created this print, "Christ Tells His Disciples of the Last Judgment," around the late 16th century. The image is dominated by the figure of Christ, who raises his hand to the sky in a gesture of prophecy. This hand, pointing upwards, isn't unique to this scene. We see it echoed across cultures and eras: the Roman emperors signaling their power, Renaissance depictions of divine inspiration, and even modern political rhetoric. The gesture speaks to something deeply rooted in the human psyche, perhaps a yearning for higher guidance. The same gesture appears in ancient Egyptian art, and the raised hand is a common posture for deities indicating their power over mankind. This symbol is a palimpsest of human aspiration, each culture layering its own nuances onto a primal expression of authority and destiny. Murer’s work, like the images that came before it, taps into this collective visual memory, stirring something profound within us. The hand that holds the future.