Peter and the Rooster

Dated 1974, Peter and the Rooster — depicting the moment of Peter's denial of Christ, when the cock's crowing fulfills the prediction that Peter would deny his Lord three times before morning — is executed on crumpled paper, the textured surface lending the scene its emotional weight. The rooster is rendered in Watanabe's characteristic bold form, its crow the sound that signals betrayal and begins repentance. Peter's despair at the recognition of his own failure is one of the most human moments in the Passion narrative.