Christ Falls the Second Time (Seventh Station)

Dick Swift

This image, no. 7, is one of 14 intaglio prints depicting the Stations of the Cross that Atelier 17 printmaker Dick Swift produced in 1957 and 1958. They are called "mixed technique" intaglios because the artist used several different intaglio techniques including aquatint, drypoint, etching, engraving, and softground.

Swift illustrates the story of the Passion of the crucifixion as a drama, instilled with references to the injustices and sufferings in the contemporary world.

In this impression of the seventh station, where Christ had fallen for the second time, Swift's iconography is showcased by the skeletal high rise buildings in the background, which preclude Christ's coming tribulations.

This impression also showcases Swift's embodiment of evil: the minotaur. This monster is the whip bearer which speeds Christ through his pains and in the shadows in the upper right another menacing figure follows, brandishing what appears to be a sword and a shovel.