Last Judgement c. 19th century

This engraving presents the Last Judgement in a scene teeming with symbolic weight. At the composition’s apex, Christ extends his hands, a gesture echoing ancient orators, signifying both blessing and command. The saved are separated from the damned and their respective fates. The raised hand, a motif stretching back to antiquity, appears in Roman sculptures to medieval icons. We see it, for example, in depictions of emperors granting clemency, or saints performing miracles. It is a gesture of power, of intervention. Here, it's a pivotal expression in humanity's eternal fate. Consider the emotional power of this image. It is not merely a theological statement, but a psychological drama played out on a cosmic scale. The collective anxiety of judgement, deeply embedded in our cultural memory, is powerfully activated. The cyclical nature of these symbols is ever-present. Each era reinterprets and reinvents them, demonstrating the enduring, albeit shifting, power of images to speak to the human condition.