Christ Expelling the Money Lenders, from The Small Passion

Description

Christ Expelling the Money Lenders by Albrecht Dürer turns the temple into a scene of sudden disruption. Christ advances with a forceful gesture as figures recoil around him, their raised arms and turning bodies filling the close space. Objects on the floor and the room’s heavy architecture give the action a convincing physical setting.

Made around 1508 for The Small Passion, the woodcut organizes its drama around the movement of the principal figure’s robe and arm. Broad light shapes stand out against shaded walls, guiding attention through the crowd’s reactions. Dürer makes the episode feel immediate by bringing the figures close together, allowing the contrast between purposeful advance and startled retreat to carry the scene’s force.