The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
1630
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1630
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
This image shows four shadowy figures riding through a stormy, tangled landscape. One holds a bow, another a scale, a third a sword, and the last blows a horn. The sky is swirling with dark clouds, and the ground looks twisted with roots or flames. Small buildings and a lone tower crumble in the background. The artist used sharp lines and deep shading to make the scene feel chaotic and urgent. The figures look like symbols of war, famine, pestilence, and death—common themes in religious warnings. Next, look up the technique: woodcut to see how artists carved images into wood like this.
