大英博物館のインスタグラム(britishmuseum) - 5月22日 01時54分

German artist Albrecht Dürer was born #onthisday in 1471. In 1495 Dürer set up his own workshop in Nuremberg, specialising in the production of innovative, high quality prints. Dürer's revitalisation of printmaking techniques attracted the attention of many Nuremberg scholars and patrons, and established his reputation across Europe.
When the 27-year-old Dürer published the text of the Book of Revelation with 15 woodcut illustrations around 1498, he realised a three-fold ambition. He secured for himself a new source of income, transformed the appearance of the illustrated printed book, and found an outlet for his religious imagination.

In this work titled ‘The Four Horsemen’, Dürer has compressed eight verses describing St John's visions (Revelation 6:1–8) into one scene. The first rider with a bow represents Pestilence. The second, with a raised sword, represents War. The third, with the empty scales, represents Famine. In front rides Death, sweeping citizens and a king into the jaws of Hades. The descriptive power of Dürer's new woodcut style is evident. He has created light and dark tone with parallel and cross-hatched lines, and introduced luxuriant textures into the clothes, the manes of the horses, and the billowing clouds.

Since he was publishing the book himself, Dürer had to pay skilled block cutters to cut around his drawn lines. This was slow, difficult work and therefore expensive. However when the task was complete, the blocks provided him with an income for the rest of his life.

#albrechtdrer #art #woodcut #fourhorsemen #apocalypse

[BIHAKUEN]UVシールド(UVShield)

>> 飲む日焼け止め！「UVシールド」を購入する