The Small Passion: The Resurrection

The Small Passion: The Resurrection by Albrecht Dürer is a powerful woodcut print executed between 1509 and 1511. This pivotal work forms a critical component of Dürer’s celebrated Small Passion series, a sequence of prints designed to offer accessible devotional imagery to a wide audience across Europe. Utilizing the challenging medium of the woodcut, Dürer transformed the capabilities of the relief print technique, achieving a level of detail, fine line work, and subtle tonal variation previously associated only with copperplate engravings.

The composition centers on the triumphant moment of Christ rising from the tomb, defying the laws of gravity as He ascends while bearing the banner of the Resurrection. Below Him, the Roman guards are thrown into states of confusion and sleep, depicted in dramatic foreshortening that emphasizes the divine power of the event. The meticulous attention to detail in the soldiers’ armor and the energetic movement of Christ’s drapery highlights the technical mastery Dürer brought to the German Renaissance printmaking tradition.

The immense popularity and portability of these prints ensured Dürer’s fame traveled rapidly; though the artist was German, the influence of his graphic works permeated artistic centers throughout the continent, including France, where they were widely collected and studied. Today, this impression of the print resides in the distinguished collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, preserving a key example of Northern Renaissance graphic arts. As a celebrated work from the early 16th century, high-quality reproductions of Dürer’s Small Passion are frequently found within the public domain, guaranteeing ongoing study and appreciation of this foundational artist.