Woman of the Apocalypse and the Seven Headed Dragon

Albrecht Durer
Image result for the apocalypse durer
The Woman of the Apocalypse and the Seven Headed Dragon, Albrecht Durer, 1498

By HARPER TRUOG
The Woman of the Apocalypse and the Seven Headed Dragon is the 11th woodcut in a series called The Apocalypse.  Each woodcut illustrates a passage from the revelations of St. John, which describe the end of the world.  The Black Plague came in waves and ravaged Europe's population.  The art from that period reflected the destructive power of the disease as people became well acquainted with death.  Many people thought that the plague was a form of punishment and that the end of the world, or the Last Judgement, would occur in 1500.  The Nun by Hans Holbein shows a woman who is kneeling to pray, but is distracted by a handsome man.  Durer capitalized on the fear of death and going to Hell by vividly illustrating passages about the end of the world.  Holbein's woodcut warns against being distracted by earthly possessions and attachments and Durer's woodcut shows the result of devotion.

The Woman of the Apocalypse and the Seven Headed Dragon connects to a passage of St. John. The passage describes a "woman clothed in sun" and a vision of God right before storms and earthquakes.  The woman has a crown of 12 stars, is robed in sun, and has the moon beneath her feet.  The dragon, which could represent Hell or death, waits to devour the child she is about to bear.  Before the dragon can take the child, angels rescue it.  The woodcut warns of the potential fate of people who die (they get eaten by the dragon), but it has a hopeful message at the end.  If one lives a good and pure life, they will go to Heaven and be saved from suffering.  In order to be saved, people would have to repent and prioritize their soul above all else.

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St. Sebastian at the Column vs. St. Sebastian at the Tree

Albrecht Durer
Albrecht Durer, St. Sebatian at the Column, 1499
Albrecht Durer, St. Sebastian at the Tree, 1501
By ELLIE SCHNEIDER

 St. Sebastian was an early Christian  saint and martyr. During Diocletian's rule over Rome. People who practiced Christianity, like St. Sebastian, were heavily persecuted. Diocletian ordered St. Sebastian's death, so he was brought to a field and shot with arrows, only they did not kill him. Legend says that he was rescued and healed by Irene of Rome. Then, he supposedly went to Rome and confronted Diocletian, fighting for the freedom of speech and religion. Diocletian then ordered St. Sebastian to be killed for the second time, and this time it worked.

St. Sebastian is a common figure depicted in Renaissance art. Painters such as Botticelli, Perugino, Mantegna, and el Greco have captured the same scene and Dürer does above. Most often, St. Sebastian is painted in his youth. Dürer painted this scene twice, just three years apart, but he chose to paint St. Sebastian first in his youth and then as an older man.

What is the point of painting the same subject twice? Why did he chose to capture St. Sebastian at two different ages? These were the questions I asked myself when I found both of these prints. At the column, St. Sebastian is younger, and this shows because he appears more awake, petit, and calm. His hair and face also match that of a younger man. St. Sebastian at the Tree shows an older Sebastian with mature facial hair and a more built body. He also appears closer to death than the younger depiction, suggesting his youth in the legend is what saved him. Also, in the first image St. Sebastian stands upright and appears relaxed, but in the second image, Sebastian is leaning into the tree for support and his muscles appear tense. Additionally, I think that the maturing of St. Sebastian between these two prints also signifies the maturing of Dürer as a person and as an artist.

In Dürer's first image, St. Sebastian is at the column whereas at the second one he is at the tree. This is also an interesting change that Dürer made in his second print. Most other artists also place St. Sebastian at the tree, so it might be inspired by the works he saw when he visited Italy just before these etchings were made.

My favorite parts of these etchings are the tags that Dürer uses to sign his works. If you look to the left of the column, in the lower left corner and then if you search at the bottom right of the tree, there are small squares with a D for Dürer inside an A for Albrecht.

Dürer takes a subject that has been depicted in different mediums throughout time and uses his unparalleled etching abilities to create two of his own versions of St. Sebastian.
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Praying Hands

Albrecht Durer
Durer, Praying Hands, 1508
By REID GUEMMER

It's said that the hands are the instruments of instruments. Without them the human race would not be where it is today, whether we're talking art, technology or just day-to-day tasks. Durer, the German painter, print maker and mathematician certainly wouldn't have been able to create all he did without them. Although a seemingly meaningless sketch, perhaps this was Durer's tribute to God for giving him his most essential tool.


In 2014, R&B artist Drake dropped his album if you're reading this it's too late. For the cover art, he manipulated Durer's Praying Hands into a thick lined in full black and white contrast. While many listeners are unaware of the influence, Drake's silent tribute to the master Renaissance painter has become a pop culture icon. Although the two artists practice in different mediums, they have both consumed the industry.
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Self-Portrait Nude

Albrecht Durer
Durer, Self-Portrait Nude, 1471-1528
By ELIZABETH ELLIS

In the first full-length nude self-study, Durer portrays himself in only a hairnet or cap. There are two focus points in his nude drawing:  Durer's face and his, ah-hem, genitals capture the gaze. His muscles bulge as his gaze travels beyond the painting, a simple background giving greater attention to the whorls of lines and shadows covering his body.

What's perhaps rather ironic about his portrayal of himself is that Durer was sick in 1503, when he was creating this peace, and yet drew himself as a powerful and bold younger man. Only his face, eyes slightly sunken in and cheeks hollowed, give away any hints of sickness. Of course, Durer's obsession with drawing himself as slightly better than ideal came from even before the Self-Portrait Nude. His body and pose in Self-Portrait Nude is reminiscent of Apollo from Durer's earlier work, Apollo and Diana. In addition to this idea of being one of the gods, the practice of imitatio Christi was already popular in Europe, where artists changed their own features to take on the features of Christ.

In previous works, Durer had changed the color of his hair, the shape of his face, and placed his arms in the symbol of blessing, all to mimic Christ and bring holiness and a sense of immortality to his works and himself. The pride behind using imitation Christ fills all of Durer's works, from Adam and Eve (The Fall of Man), where Durer inserted his cartellino into the painting, to Self-Portrait, where Durer shows himself practically as Christ. His hair is darkened, and split into the style of Jesus Christ, and he wears luxurious furs. To bring all of this together in reference to his Self-Portrait Nude, I believe that rather than focusing on correct proportions, Durer gave into his ego when creating this carving. Durer drew what he knew, or thought, rather than what he saw in the mirror. 
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Adoration of the Holy Trinity

Adoration of the Holy Trinity
Albrecht Durer, Adoration of the Holy Trinity (Landauer Altarpiece), 1511

By LIBBY ROHR

Behold the majesty of one of Durer's later and greater works. Painted in 1511, begun shortly after his return from an extended trip to Italy to study the works of the great southern masters, was completed over the course of arguable his four best years as an artist. Durer painted this work as an altarpiece to go in the chapel of the "House of 12 Brothers," a retirement home for aging artists donated by Nuremberg metal trader Matthaus Landauer. Due to the nature of this commission, he would have had to be particularly sure of his skill in this work to be presenting it to his most experienced peers. As he originally studied wooden engraving, he also carved the frame it originally existed in, though the two have been separated for quite a while now. The one it resides in now is an exact replica, but a replica nonetheless.

The frame itself depicts the last judgement in stunning, meticulous detail, in carved and painted wood. As in the painting itself, the focus of the frame is a trinity. In this case, the Christ figure atop a globe with the kneeling Virgin on his left and kneeling John the Baptist on the right. Their presence is announced by two cherubs on either side. The climbing vines that encircle the painting itself reflect a gorgeous delicacy and care that bleeds into the painting itself. 

Originally in my selection, I chose this painting due to its color. What with centuries of fading, it may not be as brilliant as I can imagine it once to be, but in looking at the juxtaposition even in this particular rendering, it's clear that as magnificent as the color is, it would have been even more so when first painted. In this particular work, the contrast between the gold and dark green of the tapestry behind Christ and the crisp white of the clouds that surround him especially help to emphasize him. The vibrancy of Durer's reds, golds, greens, and pastel blues cannot be understated, although the bulk of his works are black and white engravings. This work in particular seems to glow. 

The geometry in this work is particularly evident. First, the painting is divided in half vertically (through the line of Jesus's body on the cross, the figure of God, down through the split of the congregation below) and horizontally (splitting the realm of heaven from earth). In the heavenly half, Jesus embodies the trinity in the clear triangle that frames him on the cross, splitting the crowd of saints in two. In addition, much of this painting flows out in concentric hemispheres around the central dove above the head of the Lord. The first ring is that of holy golden light, followed by creatures with the bodies of doves and the faces of cherubs, then by the angels holding up the cross of Christ, then the clouds around the christ figure, and finally by those adoring his holiness.

The upper right congregation is that of the male Old Testament saints, most notably and visibly Moses and King David. To the left are the female New Testament saints carrying palm ferns lead by the Virgin Mary, clad in blue as always, looking to her son in absolute devotion. The bottom grouping are the earthly Christians. Front and center, the pope is clearly emphasized, clad in gold, body turned upwards in worship. To the left of this lower group, the older man being embraced by the bishop is that of the patron, Mr. Landauer. The remainder of this group are other notable figures like the emperor alongside ordinary religious men and women, suggesting the inclusion of the audience into this portion. 

Below this is a short landscape of which he was particularly fond of painting in his earlier years as well as my favorite of his self portraits. Rather than simply signing this work, Durer placed a likeness of himself in a red turban next to a plaque announcing his name and the date. He appears to be showing off, quite proud of what he's just painted. And in this case, he should be. This painting effectively through work of the brush, unites heaven with earth visually and in the emotional response. When observing this masterpiece, one has never been closer to the realm of God.

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An Young And Old Woman From Bergen

Albrecht Durer
Dürer, An Young and Old Woman From Bergen, 1520
By MEGAN GANNON By now we kind of have a grasp on the Renaissance. We’ve examined Giotto, read our Baxandall, and admired Raphael so what comes next? Well, we have the Northern Renaissance a slightly less admired and beautiful movement but worthy of our time nonetheless. 

And don’t worry the North has own their share of the self-absorbed artists. In particular they have Albrecht Dürer, who when he painted his self-portrait compared his likeness to that of Christ...more than once.

The Northern Renaissance in many ways parallels that of Italy’s with the study of human proportion, geometry, perspective, and Greek and Roman influences. Although unlike in Italy between 1520 and the mid - 17th century the North fell victim to iconoclasm. This hatred of imagery led to the destruction of countless works of art and essential documents to the study of the works.

Often times on this blog we speak of color and composition and not the deeds that guarantee Botticelli did in fact paint Venus and Mars. Although it seems silly to belittle the importance of these documents. For instance according to Susy Nash in her article "Dispersal and Destruction," despite archives confirming 300 artists in Cologne between 1300-1500 none of the works discovered correlate to any of the artists (21).

Despite inadequate documentation, Northern Renaissance art still flourishes. Especially with pieces like An Young And Old Woman From Bergen, not the most glamorous name but Dürer imagery captures something often forgotten in Italy - aging.

Dürer’s juxtaposition of a young and old women references Ars Moriendi or the Art of Dying. The younger woman with her downcast eyes seems to be avoiding death while the older with her defiant gaze confronts death. The non-existent wrinkles on the young woman’s face hint at her inexperience, the life she has yet to live. While her counterpart with heavy lines around her eyes and mouth captures years of tears, smiles, frowns, and laughs that make up a long life.

I am completely captivated by this sketch. Perhaps because as a young woman it presents the future. I may lack the headscarf, but one day my nose will have lengthened and the lines in my face will run deep. Dürer celebrates this process by demonstrating that the older woman is just as beautiful as the younger one.

Often times we view age as the end of the road. We frantically search for the fountain of youth in anti-aging creams and powders. We ponder the benefits of starting a life anew. As Dürer puts it that it solely fantasy. For we have one life, one face, and with that face the lines, the scars, do not act as detractory factor, but as symbol of life.

To live a life in the preservation in beauty is not to live at all. Just ask Mrs. Dalloway.

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Self Portrait at the Age of Twenty Eight

Albrecht Durer
Image result for durer self portrait 1500
Albrecht Durer, Self Portrait at the Age of Twenty Eight, 1500 
By EMMA SHAPIRO

 Albrecht Durer's Self  Portrait at the Age of Twenty Eight outwardly highlights his arrogant self-confidence. Durer earned his favorable reputation as an artist in his early twenties. Durer became one of the most influential artists of the Northern Renaissance. His revolutionary woodcuts became his most noteworthy medium, followed by prints, altarpieces, portraits, watercolours and books.  Judging by the portrayal of himself as Christ in his Self Portrait in 1500, perhaps the early prodigious reviews boosted his morale to a slight extreme.

Durer inscribed his initials "AD" into the left hand side of the portrait, along with text reading "I, Albrecht Durer of Nurembourg, painted myself thus, with undying colours, at the age of twenty-eight years." In this he outwardly states his belief in his own immortality, whether that be in a physical presence or permanent fame. He also played with his orientation in order to emphasize a similar ideal. In most self-portraits during the time period artists positioned themselves in a three-quarters view, but Durer faces directly forward, and zooms in on his image. He also eliminates a background, stressing his self importance.

Durer fashions his body as a triangle, playing with the presence of the trinity within himself. He believed that at the age of twenty-eight he was at a prime. The portrait testifies to this by his supreme artistic expertise. His right hand raises slightly, toying with his seemingly expensive, powerfully red, fur coat. In Becoming a Knowledgeable Artist the author states that "The hand is the instrument with which the right-handed Durer created his art. The artist shows off his long, graceful fingers". In his hand, we see realistic bones and veins. Joachim Camerarius, a German physician and humanist scholar, described Durer saying "Nature gave him a build and a bodily development that, as is right and proper, fit supremely well with the magnificent spirit it encloses...He has an expressive head, glittering eyes, an attractive nose, which the Greeks would call perfect, a somewhat long neck, a broad chest, a taut body, powerful thighs, firm legs; but a finer thing than his fingers have ever seen". Everything about this painting screams self obsessed. Although accounts such as Joachim's suggest his deserving of such praise, his haughty advertisement of his perfection within his paintings is less than admirable.
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The two sides of Albrecht Dürer

Albrecht Durer
Nude Sel-portrait - Albrecht Durer
Albrecht Durer, Self-Portrait, 1505


"Battle the image inside of my mind"

Dürer's Nude Self Portrait depict's a more human version of himself, rather than the Jesus-like being seen in his other self-portraits. He seems to be troubled, as the lighting of his body almost indicates lighter and darker halves of himself. Although stern, a distraught look remains in his eyes, complementing his posture.

"People only in your life for seasons."

These contrasting images and opinions of himself draw me in most to Dürer's portrait and contradict the once constant god-like aura he had possessed or at least believed he did. Here he depicts himself in a more rugged, flawed fashion and his body appears as uncut and incomplete, further exhaustion his humanity

"Look around, everything changes."

Regardless of what Dürer had been struggling through, a present connection can be made, as images, opinions and personalities contradict each other in order to make up a whole. Dürer accomplishes a view of humanity and vulnerability while covering the incomplete aspect of of it all.

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Everybody Wants to Rule the World and Durer Self-Portrait

Albrecht Durer
Albrecht Durer, Self-Portrait, 1500



Using only two chords, a down beat looped on an 8-bit computerized MIDI sequencer, the introduction to Tears for Fears's song "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" is the kind of intro that elicits prolific head nodding and side to side body movements; resting somewhere in the interim between standing still and dancing like a maniac. 

"Welcome to your life," the song begins, "There's no turning back," everyone receives a life, a purpose- no returns, trade-ins or refunds. "It's my own design, it's my own remorse," everybody has control over the way their lives play out ; any grief or regrets that result from a bad decision, is purely our own. The line "Help me make the most of freedom, and of pleasure," one's ambition to live up to their potential, and the whole song builds up to the simple phrase "Ev-ery-bo-dy-wants-to-rule-the-world". At first one thinks "Well everyone may want to rule the world, but not everyone can rule the world, it's impossible," But I think Durer and Tears for Fears offer an interesting solution. Simply, the idea of "ruling the world" is subjective. Wealth and power aren't the only ways one can rule. 

For Durer, he rules his world by becoming the all-mighty Jesus Christ. In his painting Self-Portrait in a Fur Cloak, Durer does everything to appear more jesus-esque from changing the colour of his hair and creating a more triangular composition, to imitating Jesus' hand positing. Unfortunately, Durer does not realize ambition often houses ramifications of its own. "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" warns that, "nothing ever lasts forever." After one desire is satisfied, another one takes its place, anything thought to bring "freedom and pleasure." It's a never-ending cycle leading to nowhere, and I see this quite often in Durer's works.  

I've never particularly liked Durer. His paintings make me uncomfortable in an unsettling sort of way. It wasn't until I listened to "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" for the 114th time that I realized how absolutely heartbroken Durer looks as Jesus Christ. It's not immediately noticeable, but in each one of his paintings (his self-portraits or otherwise) a tiny sprinkling of melancholy dims the intensity just a tad. Durer's portrait is powerful. No doubt about that, but when I gaze into Durer's eyes, when I look closely at the tension on his temples or the uncertainty in his lips-- there's a certain, almost wistful, heavy heartedness.

 I feel Tears for Fears captures this same haunting feeling almost perfectly in "Everybody Wants to Rule the World."It's lighthearted, playful, and indicative of a good time. Yet the lyrics and tone in which they are sung still send chills down my back. It's not a song I can listen to only once, and Durer's Self-Portrait in a Fur Cloak is not a painting you can glance at only once.

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Self-Portrait at Twenty-Eight Years Old Wearing a Fur Coat with Fur Collar and Jesus Don't Me for a Sunbeam

Albrecht Durer
Albrecht Durer, Self-Portrait at Twenty-Eight Years Old Wearing a Fur Coat with Fur Collar, 1500





Powerful eyes, an essence of absolute control, this self-portrait has all the dominating features you could ever hope for. All I can say is, “Don’t expect me to cry”

“Jesus Doesn’t Want Me for a Sunbeam” was original written by The Vaselines in 1987. In tribute to their song, Kurt Cobain of Nirvana decided to cover the song in his 1992 MTV Unplugged event. His rendition with an acoustic guitar became far more well-known than the real song. Had it not been for Kurt saying The Vaselines originally wrote the song, I would have attributed the song to Nirvana. The song was originally a church choir ballad, but The Vaselines added some electric guitar and it became more of a rock and roll song.

Albrecht Durer originally heard the song in… never, the song was written in 1987, pay attention. The simple verse in the song goes perfectly with the nonchalant expression of Durer in this painting. He could argue that “Sunbeams are never made me.” The painting makes me feel serene as if Durer was Jesus. He wouldn’t cry, and he wouldn’t die. Although he says don’t expect me to die for thee, his expression and posture gives the idea that he will give his life if you so ask.


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Parrot in Three Positions

Albrecht Durer
Albrecht Durer, Parrot in Three Positions, 1503

Durer's Parrot in Three Positions, achieves a scientific view in which the subject, the parrot, appears specimen-like. Although standing there in a matter in which it may seem the parrot has some sort of free will, it does not, for it is frozen. The same parrot being shown in three different positions indicates further the scientific value of the portrait. Durer once again grasps every detail of the bird as he had done with The Little Owl and the Young Hare, his attention brings out the livelihood of every animal pictured.

The value of life has been a struggle constantly dealt with in both the world of science and political conflict. Throughout these events, humans have also been treated like simple specimens, making them of no more value than the bird depicted by Durer. The lack of value also represents a helplessness, an inability to change the fate, such as the birds of a simple jungle camp of DOTA 2 waiting to be massacred by a whirling axe of an oncoming hero.

Although the painting displays a bird that seems to be alive, a hint of death remains through the dark tones used as well as the stillness felt from the parrot. Overall the value of the Parrot and the significance of its positions may teach a valuable lesson of life.

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Nemesis

Albrecht Durer
 Durer, Nemesis (The Great Fortune), 1503

Look at those child-bearing hips. Durer depicts Nemesis, the goddess of revenge, as the perfect woman. She has large hips and a plump stomach signifying she would be a great bearer of children; in other words the ideal wife and woman. Some features distract from the fact that she is supposed to be a woman. Her legs are muscular to the point of believing it is a man. Her face does not look like one of a goddess, it is smug and she looks unhappy. She does not look like a beautiful woman but instead a man who is in pain.

Nemesis believed no one should have an abundance of unnecessary things and cursed people who did. She stands above a town on a globe with a goblet in one hand and reins in another. Seems a little contradictory to me. If you believe people should not have luxurious objects, why not be depicted on the ground with all the other common people. In addition, why be depicted with a fancy golden cup and reins?

Durer includes this engraving in his series of studying the anatomy of humans, birds and other animals. He leaves the background at the top white so the attention stays on Nemesis then drifts towards the ground where there is a small town. Nemesis has overtly large wings that are similar to those in Durer’s Wing of a Blue Roller.  Because there is no background, the oversized wings take over the left side of the painting. Personally, I enjoy looking at this painting. The complexity of the bottom half contradicts the simplicity of the top half to a wonderful extreme.


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