The Last Supper, from "The Small Passion"

The Last Supper, from "The Small Passion" is a definitive woodcut created by the German Renaissance master Albrecht Dürer. Executed across the period of 1485 to 1528, this print belongs to Dürer’s influential series, The Small Passion, a set of thirty-seven scenes detailing the narrative of Christ's suffering. The woodcut medium showcases the dramatic precision and technical sophistication Dürer achieved in printmaking, utilizing dense lines and dramatic shadow to convey profound emotional depth in a relatively small format.

The subject depicts the moment Christ announces to his assembled Apostles that one of them will betray him, a scene traditionally known for its psychological tension. Unlike earlier depictions that often showed the figures aligned statically, Dürer organizes the Apostles dynamically around a table in a complex, three-dimensional space, emphasizing individual reactions to the revelation. Christ sits centrally, offering contrast to the agitated Apostles who react with gestures of confusion, denial, and questioning. This composition highlights Dürer’s dedication to psychological realism, successfully translating complex human drama into the stark black and white limitations of the woodcut.

As a key figure of the Northern Renaissance, Dürer utilized the reproducibility of prints to disseminate religious iconography widely throughout Europe, impacting both theological and artistic conventions. This particular example of Dürer’s masterful graphic work is housed within the renowned collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Given the age and importance of the series, digital copies of the images within The Small Passion, including The Last Supper, are frequently available for study through public domain initiatives, affirming the lasting influence of the artist's work.