Oceanus, from The Deities
1588/90
Medium
Chiaroscuro woodcut from three blocks in tan and ochre on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Sheet: 35 × 26.4 cm (13 13/16 × 10 7/16 in.)
Classification
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
268528
Art Historical Context
Behold *Oceanus, from The Deities*, a chiaroscuro woodcut Hendrick Goltzius created around 1588–90. This print depicts the mythological Titan Oceanus, the ancient Greek god embodying the vast, encircling river-ocean, rendered with dynamic energy amid swirling waves and muscular form. Goltzius, a Dutch engraver and innovator of Northern Mannerism, produced this as part of his celebrated series *The Deities*, which brought classical gods to life through prints accessible to collectors across Europe. The artwork's medium—a chiaroscuro woodcut from three blocks in tan and ochre on ivory laid pape...
About the Artist
Hendrick Goltzius · 1558–1617
Hendrick Goltzius (1558–1617) was the most celebrated engraver of the Northern Renaissance and a pivotal figure in Dutch Mannerism. Born near the German-Dutch border, Goltzius transformed printmaking into a virtuoso art form through his revolutionary 'swelling line' technique, where the burin was manipulated to create lines of varying thickness that produced unprecedented tonal effects and three-d...