Charity

About this work

Heinrich Aldegrever painted Charity as a tiny woodcut in 1552. Three women stand close together, one holding a baby, another a basket of bread, the third pouring water from a jug. Their long robes fold into sharp creases under the light. This is one of four “cardinal virtues” Aldegrever made to show good behavior. The lines are crisp and the figures feel almost like sculpture. Look up Henri Matisse to see how later artists cut shapes with the same bold edges.