Last Judgement (Lochner)

[1] Today the outer wings, which formed a sixfold partition when extended, have been sawed off into twelve individual pictures,[2] most of which are still extant but held in separate collections,[3] mostly in Cologne, Munich and Frankfurt.

[4] Its depiction of the Last Judgment follows many of the conventions of contemporary doom paintings, but Lochner introduces important innovations, especially in his rendering of the angel's black and flowing clothes.

Jesus is placed in the center of the upper half of the panel, sitting on a double rainbow which emits beams, with his hand held outwards.

[7] The saints domination of the panel is achieved both through their relative size compared to angels and the mortals below (as is usual for paintings of the "Last Judgement"), but also according to Weiss, through the "impact of their gestures and the massive curves of their garments".

In this work, the saved are finally greeted by St. Peter as they enter a heavenly city, while the lost are driven towards the blazing fires of hell.

[4] It is believed to originate from early in his career, as in places it does not, according to art critic Emmy Wellesz, "attain the perfect harmony of line, the subtle relationship of the component parts within the total structure, which we admire in Lochner's mature work".

[2] However, it is considered one of the most important paintings in his oeuvre, critics cite its "dramatic excitement" and the study of Gothic architecture in the ruined castle.