1490
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Christ Washing the Apostles' Feet is a 1490 ink by German 15th Century, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This picture shows a group of men crowded together around a central figure kneeling on the ground. The kneeling man is washing someone’s feet while the others watch or reach out. Their faces are simple, with big halos around their heads. The background is just a few bare trees and a dark border. The artist used a woodcut method—lines carved into wood, then inked and colored by hand. The colors are flat, mostly tan, green, and a little rose, with no shading. Look up woodcut to see how this printing trick worked.
This 15th-century German artist carved vivid religious scenes into metal and wood, then hand-painted them in bright, symbolic colors.
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