The prints of darknessThe art, theory, and woodcut print revolution of Albrecht DurerA polymath of the German Renaissance, Albrecht Durer (1471 1528) was a prolific artist, theorist, and writer whose works explored everything from religion to art theory to philosophy.
In his copper engraving, Melancholia I, meanwhile, Durer created a startling vision of emotional ennui, often cited as a defining early image of a depressive or melancholic state..
His two major woodcut series on Christ s Passion, named The Large Passion and The Small Passion after their size, are particularly remarkable for their vivid human treatment of the Christian narrative.
With an ambitious tonal and dynamic range, he introduced a new level of conceptual, emotional, and spiritual intensity.
Through works such as Apocalypse and the Triumphal Arch for Emperor Maximilian I, he created dense, meticulous compositions that were much larger, much more finely cut, and far more complex than any earlier woodcut efforts.
Durer s woodcuts astonish in scale as much as detail.
His vast body of work includes altarpieces, portraits, self-portraits, watercolors, and books, but is most celebrated for its astonishing collection of woodcut prints, which transformed printmaking from an artisan practice into a whole new art form.
The prints of darknessThe art, theory, and woodcut print revolution of Albrecht DurerA polymath of the German Renaissance, Albrecht Durer (1471 1528) was a prolific artist, theorist, and writer whose works explored everything from religion to art theory to philosophy
