Artwork Page for Lamentation

Details / Information for Lamentation

Lamentation

c. 1515–17

Hans Baldung

(German, 1484/85–1545)
Culture
Germany
Medium
woodcut
Credit Line
Dudley P. Allen Fund 1936.666
Catalogue raisonné
Karlsruhe 231.12 ; Hollstein II.88.53
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print

Description

Baldung's originality is evident in Lamentation, one of his most expressive and deeply moving works. Every element—radical foreshortening, compressed figures in exaggerated poses, the abruptly truncated top of the composition, even the frenzy of Mary Magdalene's cascading curls—intensifies the expression of grief. The low point of view projects instruments of the Passion into the spectator's space, making one a participant in this anguished drama.
A vertically oriented print in dense black-inked fine lines depicts figures with light skin tones grieving. A muscular man lies on the ground, his head supported by a kneeling woman. Behind them, a woman with wavy hair wails with arms outstretched. To the right, a man covers his face. Behind the group, a ladder and wooden poles rise. In the foreground, three nails and two jars sit near a monogram on the ground.

Lamentation

c. 1515–17

Hans Baldung

(German, 1484/85–1545)
Germany

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