|
The Stations of the Cross are a devotional practice which originated in the early centuries of the Christian Church. Pilgrims who could not walk the "Way of the Cross" in Jerusalem, were able to simulate this pilgrimage as they viewed a series of images which depicted the events of the Crucifixion (the Passion narrative.) In subsequent centuries the Passion narrative became a major subject for artists as well as musicians, although many artists (notably, Rembrandt and Dürer) did not attempt to create a complete set of Stations.
Parker's woodcuts are stark depictions that capture the Passion narrative with wrenching power.
The images convey in graphic terms Christ's Passion and his gradually diminishing energy. But they do not appeal to the viewer's pity; rather they show Christ's compassion and strength in the face of suffering.
|