Christ Carrying the Cross

About this work

This small woodcut shows Jesus stumbling under the weight of the cross. The other figures crowd around him, their faces sharp with anger or indifference. The scene feels claustrophobic, like you’re right there in the chaos. Dürer made this image in 1512, early in his career. It still has the detailed lines he’s known for later. The contrast between light and dark keeps your eye moving through the crowd. See how he carves every fold in Jesus’ robe? For more like this, look at Albrecht Dürer (German, 1471–1528).