Lovers Overcome by Death

By the end of the 15th century printmaking had become a widely used method of creating and disseminating images. The medium was very flexible, output including anything from devotional souvenirs to complex book illustrations. Until around 1510 woodblock printing had mostly been monochrome, but artists began to experiment with adding extra blocks to the process to give their work greater depth.

It took three blocks instead of one to make this image, and three shades of brown ink were used: the darkest for the lines, a mid-brown tone for shadow and details such as the pattern on the pillar to the right, and a golden brown tone for the overall colour. The pale colour of the unprinted paper was left exposed to create highlighted areas.

The overall effect makes for a well defined, almost sculptural scene. Dark, parallel hatching defines the architectural setting, whereas curved lines model the rounded forms of the figures, creating a sense of movement. Highlights, where the paper is left untouched, give further three-dimensional definition to the forms, specially the figures. The imagery here is otherworldly, but at the same time it tackles the realities of human existence: in this example the subjects of love, fear, death and loss are easily understood by just about anybody. It is a moment of intense drama set against a backdrop of cold, unmoveable stone in which the skeletal form of Death performs a gruesome act against the two lovers.

As a monochrome print Lovers Overcome by Death may not have been so effective, although Death would still be violently assaulting the man and looking menacingly over his shoulder to the woman as she hopelessly flees. The additional tones give it a greater sense of realism, as though in colour there is a level of connection that is less deniable than in black and white.
- Sarah