The 40 days of Lent are a time of reflection, abstinence and alms-giving for Christians of the Catholic persuasion. The season starts with Ash Wednesday (Feb.25, 2009), and ends with Palm Sunday, which leads into Holy Week with its observance of The Way of the Cross and the Paschal Triduum (Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil). It commemorates the suffering, death, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

In the Anglo-Catholic tradition there are normally nine stations for the Way of the Cross (14 for Roman Catholic observation), and they are often illustrated by paintings or sculptures to mark the way. Willem Hart’s graphics depict four of them: from top left, clockwise, Station 1, Jesus is condemned to death (Pilate washes his hands); Station 3, The cross is laid upon Simon of Cyrene; Station 4, Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem; Station 6, Jesus is nailed to the cross.

These have been designed to be cast in bronze (Station 3) and set into the terra-cotta tile floor of St. Thomas’s Church in Toronto, Ontario. The colored versions are planned as limited edition linocuts to help fund the project. All graphics measure 6×6″.