1548
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Dominant colour
Christ with Little Children is a 1548 by Georg Pencz, a Renaissance work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
This black-and-white print shows a group of people gathered around a bearded man holding a child. The man has a glowing halo and looks like he’s blessing the kids. Some adults stand nearby, holding their own children, while others kneel or reach out toward him. In the background, a small town with a church steeple sits under a tree. The artist used strong contrasts between light and dark to make the figures stand out. Notice how the halo around the man’s head is the brightest spot in the whole scene. Check out chiaroscuro to see how this lighting trick works in other art.
Georg Pencz (c. 1500 – 11 October 1550) was a German engraver, painter and printmaker. Pencz was probably born in Westheim near Bad Windsheim/Franconia. He travelled to Nuremberg in 1523 and joined Albrecht Dürer’s…
See the richer artist page
