1558
ink
paper
From the collection of Metropolitan Museum of Art
Lust is a 1558 ink by Pieter van der Heyden, a Renaissance work, held at Metropolitan Museum of Art.
This image is a busy black-and-white scene packed with weird, twisted figures. A naked woman stands in the center, surrounded by small, ugly creatures climbing trees, fighting, and playing instruments. At the top, a giant mushroom grows near a church, and a man in a hat watches from a doorway. The ground is messy with roots and fallen leaves. The word "LUXURIA" is written near the bottom, which means this picture warns against too much pleasure. The artist used sharp lines to create shadows and texture—this is called cross-hatching. Look up cross-hatching to see how artists build depth with lines.
Pieter van der Heyden (c. 1530 - after March 1572) was a Flemish printmaker who is known for his reproductive engravings after works by leading Flemish painters and designers of the 16th century.
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