The Small Passion: The Ascension

The woodcut titled The Small Passion: The Ascension was created by the renowned German artist Albrecht Dürer between 1509 and 1511. This impression belongs to the influential series known as The Small Passion, a cycle of thirty-seven prints depicting the life and suffering of Christ, which Dürer designed specifically for a broad audience. Dürer’s mastery of the woodcut medium revolutionized printmaking in Germany during the early 16th century, elevating the technique to an unprecedented level of detail and graphic expressiveness.

The scene depicts the Ascension, following the biblical account where Christ rises into heaven forty days after his resurrection. Dürer utilizes dense line work and dramatic light-dark contrasts typical of the woodcut process to draw the viewer’s attention to the tightly gathered apostles below. Their figures are composed around the center, staring skyward at the vanishing feet of Christ, which are visible just above a stylized cloud bank. This dramatic focus emphasizes the spiritual transition and the moment of awe experienced by the disciples witnessing the event.

As a leading figure of the Northern Renaissance, Dürer’s artistic innovations remain critical studies in art history. The quality achieved in this small-format print demonstrates his enduring influence on graphic arts and the commercial success of the Small Passion series, which was widely distributed across Europe. This impression of the work is held in the extensive collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, preserving a key example of the artistic and technical advancements made in Germany. Many of Dürer's prints are now considered part of the public domain, allowing global accessibility to his artistic legacy.