Nox, plate seven from Demogorgon and the Deities

Night, personified as the goddess Nox, emerges from the darkness in this chiaroscuro woodcut. Her form is dramatically highlighted against a shadowy background, her face serene yet powerful, her eyes cast downward. The three-block printing technique, using black, ochre, and olive green inks on ivory paper, creates a striking interplay of light and shadow, defining her features and the flowing drapery that envelops her. This work is part of a series depicting primordial deities, where each figure embodies a fundamental aspect of the cosmos. The artist, Hendrick ter Brugghen, was a Dutch painter influenced by Caravaggio, and this print reflects that dramatic use of light and emotional intensity, even in a different medium. Here, the technique itself becomes a metaphor for the subject, with light carving out the figure from the profound depths of night.