Abraham Going to Sacrifice Isaac
1518
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1518
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
You see a woodcut of Abraham leading his son Isaac up a rocky hill, knife in hand, while an angel swoops in to stop him. This print is one of the first times an artist used short, even lines—called hatching—to create shadows and depth in a woodcut. The technique makes the scene feel alive, almost like a drawing. It’s quiet but dramatic, with every rock and fold of cloth carefully shown. To see how other artists handled the same story, look up more works in the subject *netherlands, 16th century*.
