The Crucifixion c. 1490 - 1500

This woodcut presents us with the crucifixion, the ultimate symbol of sacrifice and redemption. The central motif is, of course, Christ on the cross, flanked by mourning figures and Roman soldiers. The image is laden with symbols that have traveled through time. Take, for example, the Virgin Mary, draped in blue, a color often associated with her purity and divinity. Her sorrowful posture, with hands clasped in prayer, echoes across centuries, reminiscent of grieving figures in ancient Greek tragedies. This gesture is a powerful expression of human suffering, recurring in countless artworks as a means of conveying deep emotional states. The cross itself, once an instrument of torture, transforms into a potent emblem of hope and spiritual transcendence, its meaning evolving from a symbol of death to one of eternal life, a testament to the enduring power of collective memory.