1515
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Dominant colour
The Fall and Redemption of Man: Ecco Homo is a 1515 by Albrecht Altdorfer, a Renaissance work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
This woodcut shows a chaotic crowd of robed figures, some kneeling, others reaching up. In the center, a man is bound and raised on a platform, his arms outstretched. Around him, soldiers with spears and shields push forward, while a few onlookers watch from the sides. The background is packed with jagged lines, like a stormy sky or rough terrain. The bound man’s pose and the title suggest this scene is about suffering and sacrifice. The artist used sharp contrasts between light and dark to make the figures stand out. Next, look up chiaroscuro to see how this technique works in other art.
Albrecht Altdorfer (c. 1480 – 12 February 1538) was a German painter, engraver and architect of the Renaissance working in Regensburg. Along with Lucas Cranach the Elder and Wolf Huber he is regarded to be the main…
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