Christus aan het kruis 1704 - 1785

This small print, *Christus aan het kruis*, or Christ on the Cross, was made by Jan Lauwryn Krafft through a method known as woodcutting. It’s a relief printing process, where the artist carves an image into a block of wood, then inks and presses the remaining raised surface. The material of wood is central to the image: see the sharp, graphic quality of the lines, which is unlike the flowing lines you see in an engraving. The wood resists the cutting tool in specific ways, directing and limiting the artist's hand. It also enables a relatively quick and repeatable image. Consider the social context: prints like this one were often produced in multiples and circulated widely, making religious imagery accessible to a broad audience. The labor involved in producing the woodcut was modest. But each impression represents distribution to another person, perhaps one without access to finer art. In this way, the material and making of this artwork speak to wider issues of labor, belief, and consumption in society.