But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people. All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him. (Psalm 22:6-8, KJV)
Scotland-based Artist Peter Howson is often compared with the great masters of the North European Renaissance for his harrowing depictions of the Passion of Christ like this week's featured monotype of the thorn-crowned Man of Sorrows. For imagery of comparable visceral force in Western art you must look to the dying Christ on the Cross in the graphic Crucifixion scene of the 16th century Isenheim Altar by German Painter Matthias Grunewald. In this single print taken from an image painted on an inked plate, Howson uses harsh highlighting to emphasize the bruising of Christ's battered face, where the thickly applied colors ooze out like dripping sweat and blood. The print is one of a series of monotype portraits of the Suffering Christ that Howson created in 2011, named for various suburbs of the city of Glasgow, where he has a studio. (John Kohan)