Christ before the High Council 1913

This is a monochromatic woodcut on paper by the German Expressionist artist Wilhelm Morgner made in 1915, titled 'Christ before the High Council.' It's a dense scene, full of figures. I can only imagine the carving process. The artist probably drew onto the block, and then carefully, laboriously, gouged away the negative spaces, leaving behind the lines that would form the image. Can you picture him, methodically, cutting away at the wood? One slip, and the whole thing is ruined, right? I like to think about the commitment involved. And look how he has transformed a familiar biblical scene into a tangle of shapes and forms, charged with psychological tension. Those dark, brooding lines! They speak of conflict, accusation, judgement. I’m always moved to think about all of the artists who have taken on religious subjects. The conversation between them all, across centuries, all those interpretations and reinterpretations. Each adding their own voice, their own mark. It is fascinating.