Heilige Pachomius de Oudere als kluizenaar 1644

This print of Saint Pachomius as a hermit was created by Christoffel van Sichem II. It's made with woodcut, a relief printing technique that involves carving an image into the surface of a block of wood, leaving the printing parts level with the surface while removing the non-printing parts. The process is crucial to the aesthetic. Because woodcuts require a great deal of physical labor, they tend to have bold, graphic qualities. Look closely, and you can see that the figure of Saint Pachomius is defined by strong lines and dramatic contrasts. This is not just a stylistic choice; it's an intrinsic quality of the medium. The image is not just about religious devotion. By choosing woodcut, Sichem engages with a rich history of printmaking that was tied to wider social issues of labor, politics, and consumption. Woodcuts were often used for inexpensive, mass-produced images, and their prevalence speaks to the democratization of art in the early modern period. So, next time you see a woodcut, remember that the material and the making are as important as the image itself.