At the time other people, including saints, only appeared in portraits in profile, not from a front view. Dürer painted a half portrait of himself in a pose which was only used in portraits depicting Christ. These days it is seen in tattoos, t-shirts, soap and bumper stickers. The folded sleeves also feature prominently in the painting. The exquisite drawing is set on a dark blue background and shows only the hands of a praying apostle. Dürer created ‘Praying Hands’ as one of pen and ink sketches created for an altar piece. This artistic piece was also inspired by religion.
500 years later it is still a masterpiece as it is currently displayed at Museo del Prado in Madrid Spain. To keep focus on the subjects, it was painted on a dark background, typical in many of his works. Eve is seen near a tree and holding an apple above a snake. The tall figures of Adam and Eve are covering their private areas using branches with leaves. Having painted it after travelling to Italy, the piece has Italian influences. It is a beautiful nude painting with live size figures of Adam and Eve. It is argued that the effect of this Apocalypse is more powerful than the other compositions and that most likely Dürer created the piece himself from start to finish.Īlthough Dürer did not choose a surprising theme for an artist of his time, this painting drew a lot of attention. Although an angel is hovering above the scene, he does nothing to help. There is also a depiction of wide jawed creature swallowing a man. The crazed men swing their swords to attack the men as their horses trample on those who have fallen on the ground. It contains more powerful imagery of horsemen punishing mankind on dooms day. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse is the most popular of the Apocalypse series.
The pictures of the 15 woodcuts appealed to the masses who found the subject matter meaningful as they believed it contained prophecy of end times. Several copies of the book were produced and the message could reach a large number of people. With the invention of the print press, a second edition was produced in book form around 1511. Perhaps the obsession with end times dictated the subject of the Apocalypse and lead to its success. Just by looking at them, even illiterate masses understood the story St John was telling in the Book of Revelations-a warning of what would happen when the world came to an end.
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