The Large Passion: The Crucifixion

Dürer made seven of the twelve woodcuts for <em>The Large Passion</em> between 1497 and 1500 and then produced four additional woodcuts in 1510. The following year he published the series in book form with a frontispiece and Latin verses composed by Benedict Schwalbe. The Nuremberg monk and poet's text was printed on the back of the sheets. At the same time, Dürer printed a second edition of <em>The Apocalypse</em> and the first edition of <em>The Life of the Virgin</em>. The scenes of <em>The Large Passion</em> executed between 1497 and 1500 retain certain Gothic conventions: a wealth of detail; two-dimensional, awkward figures; ambiguous picture space; and confusing compositions. However, the strong contrast between the thick, black, expressive lines and the white paper creates a vitality lost in the prints from 1510, when Dürer's style changed dramatically.