December 24th, 2013
Engraving appeared in the 15th century, simultaneously with the printed book and the great geographical discoveries. How the new kind art, available due to cheapness, engraving extremely quickly gained popularity. She became the first illustration in the book, first as a woodcut (woodcut) and then engraving (on metal).
The plots of engraving are as diverse as life itself, and it seeks to accommodate it in all its manifestations. Following the traditional religious plots, images appear in it. ancient mythology, views of distant countries, portraits of rulers, secular and religious figures, writers and artists, images of flora and fauna, trendy pictures and calendars, maps, drawings, gardens and parks, famous monuments of antiquity.
On the one hand, the engraving is laconic, there is nothing superfluous here, everything is thought out to the smallest detail. On the other hand, the engravers' works are full of allusions and allegories, everything has a metaphorical meaning, each object corresponds to a certain concept in accordance with the medieval tradition.
We present to your attention the most famous engravers of several eras and their most outstanding work. EVERYTHING IS CLICKABLE!
Albrecht Durer (1471-1528)
Albrecht Dürer became famous already in early age his engravings and today is considered the most famous of the artists of the Renaissance. Albrecht's family had 18 children, he was the third child and the second son in the family. Dürer's father took him to her workshop to teach him how to work with gold, but the boy showed the ability to paint and therefore went as an apprentice to the engraver Mikhail Wolgemut.
Durer was equally and amazingly gifted as a painter, engraver and draftsman, but the main place in his work belongs to graphics. His legacy is huge, in its diversity it can be compared with the legacy of Leonardo da Vinci.
"Knight, Death and the Devil". 1513
Based on the symbolism of the objects surrounding the knight, we can say that he rather personifies a negative force and unites with the devil, and is not his victim. Therefore, it is no coincidence that a fox tail is attached to the peak of the rider, the sign of a knight - a robber. The image of a fox's tail was associated with the idea of lies, hypocrisy, the desire to snatch one's share of earthly goods by cunning. The image of the dog is affirmed here as adherence to the devil, greed and envy. The lizard is a symbol of pretense, an evil demon. The skull is associated with death and original sin.
"Melancholy". 1514
The Soviet art historian Ts. G. Nesselshtraus analyzes this engraving in the following way: “... before us Coast, the boundless expanse of water and the twilight sky, cut through by a rainbow and ominous rays of a comet. In the foreground, surrounded by carpentry and construction tools scattered in disorder, a winged woman sits, resting her head on her hand, immersed in deep thought. In her hand she has an open compass, a bunch of keys and a purse are tied to her belt. Nearby, a wooden ball lies on the ground, further on, a large stone polyhedron can be seen, from behind which a melting crucible peeps out.
Behind the woman, a gloomy boy climbed onto the millstone with difficulty deducing something on the plank. A skinny dog curled up beside him. To the right, in the depths, a stone building rises, perhaps unfinished, as a wooden staircase is leaning against it. Hanging on the walls of the building hourglass, scales and a bell and a magic square is inscribed. In the sky, in the rays of a comet, a huge bat. On the wings of the mouse the inscription: "Melancholy I" (...)
Immediately feeling that the winged woman is oppressed by doubts and dissatisfaction, the viewer, however, is at a dead end in front of the many hints scattered here. Why is Melancholia depicted as winged, which means her inactivity, what kind of boy is depicted behind, what is the meaning of the magic square, what are the tools scattered around for?
"Saint Jerome in the Cell". 1514
Saint Jerome is working hard, his pen is in his hand, his head is surrounded by radiance. On the table, only a book stand, on it is the work of St. Jerome, a crucifix and an inkwell. In the foreground, a small dog and a formidable lion sleep peacefully - this is an obligatory part of the legend of Jerome the Blessed. A large number of The details and attention to detail are amazing. The picture is full of small objects - symbols that catch the eye of the observer. There are more questions than answers to them, and this makes us think about many things intensely.
"Adam and Eve". 1504
Engraving plot - classical representation biblical history about Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. It is believed that the prototype for the figures of Adam and Eve were drawings with antique statues Apollo Belvedere and Venus Medicea. Dürer left a full signature on the engraving, unlike his other engravings, marked only with a monogram.
"Walk". 1496
The plot of the Walk, at first glance, is straightforward: a young burgher couple in rich costumes walks outside the city, a rural landscape and a tree are visible in the background. However, the deep philosophical meaning of the plot laid down by the author is in the depiction of Death with hourglass above the head peeking out from behind the tree. That is why the faces of young people are so thoughtful.
A bleak landscape, evoking hopeless longing, a bush of grass with sharp and dry leaves, limply bending in the wind, also acquires a special meaning. Everything reminds of the temporality of being. The village seen in the distance seems to be fenced off from the young couple by the figure of Death, inspires sharp feeling loneliness and isolation from the world.
"The Rape of Proserpina on a Unicorn". 1516
Proserpina, daughter of the grain goddess Ceres, was picking irises, roses, violets, hyacinths and daffodils in a meadow with her friends, when Pluto, king underworld. He drove her off in a chariot, causing the abyss to open before them, and Proserpina was carried away into underworld. Pluto was forced to let her go, but before that he gave her a taste of a pomegranate seed so that she would not forget the kingdom of death and return to him. Since then, Proserpina spends half the year in realm of the dead and half in the realm of the living.
"The Satyr Family". 1504
The artist studied proportions, worked on the problem of depicting a naked body. In works on mythological themes Dürer sought to embody the classical ideal of beauty. The volume of the rounded, almost sculptural form is emphasized by rounded strokes, as it were, sliding across the surface across the structure of the form. The picturesquely interpreted forest landscape organically includes figures of people and animals embodying various symbols.
Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720-1778)
Piranesi created "architectural fantasies" that amaze with the grandeur of spatial solutions, contrasts of light and shadow. Piranesi's works have always been valued by collectors as a manifestation of the amazing creative fantasy and the highest artistic excellence.
His work inspired many artists: Piranesi's dungeons were admired by Victor Hugo, who created a whole series of drawings under their influence. Under the influence of his engravings, scenery was created for Shakespeare's Hamlet and Beethoven's opera Fidelio.
And, no matter how terrifying it may sound, Piranesi's architectural ideas inspired the architects of totalitarian regimes, Mussolini's Italy, Stalin's Soviet Union And Hitler's Third Reich, and at the same time he became almost the favorite architect of postmodernism.
Most notable works engraver - the cycle "Dungeons" and the cycle "Roman Antiquities".
Cycle "Dungeons" (1749-1750)
"Dungeons" in the drawing is much more expressive, feverish than other works by Piranesi of the same period. They are compared with delirium, a nightmare, a breakthrough of the subconscious. Columns lost in darkness and height. Chains and rings for fastening fetters embedded in walls and beams. Drawbridges hanging inside the building. Corridors with cameras running in different directions. Massive stones stacked in pylons and arches. Pedestrian bridges at a terrible height. Stairs twisted and curved at unnatural angles. An infernal prison machine, depicted with drama that is too much for a fan classic beauty. The works are executed with amazing accuracy and terrifies the viewer, forcing them to believe that all this really existed.
Cycle "Roman Antiquities" (1748-1788)
In this collection, Piranesi recreated the image of Rome in all its diversity. He made numerous views of the city both from the point of view of the scientist and from the point of view of the traveler. He saw that the remains of the ancient buildings of Rome were disappearing day by day from the damage caused by time, from the greed of the owners, who, with barbaric arrogance, illegally sold them in parts for the construction of new buildings. Therefore, he decided to preserve them through engravings.
"Trevi Fountain". 1776
"View of the Pier of Ripa Grande". 1752
"View of the Ripette Pier". 1753
Pieter Brueghel the Elder (1525-1569)
The life and fate of Brueghel is mysterious. Until now, researchers are looking for the fantastic village of the same name, which allegedly gave the name to the young tramp who came to Antwerp for the mythical fish convoy and, although he started late in the sciences and arts, soon brilliantly made up for everything.
"Alchemist". 1560s
Brueghel on the engraving in an ironic manner depicted an alchemist who creates a model of the world and world-creating processes, sets as his task the reproduction and spiritualization of the cosmos, proceeds from the idea of the unity of the world and the universality of change.
"Fools and Jesters"
The main mystery of this engraving is the year of its creation. The engraving shows the date - 1642, but Brueghel the Elder died in 1569. His son, Brueghel the Younger, was not fond of engravings, although he was an artist. Perhaps the numbers on the engraving are not a date at all.
Gustave Doré (1832-1883)
Dore can rightfully be called a colossus of illustration, because he seems to have interpreted all the masterpieces of world literature.
In addition to talent in composition and drawing, Dore has the look that is inherent in poets who know the secrets of nature. When engravings began to become wildly popular with the public in the 1860s, every author who wrote a book wanted Doré to illustrate it. Every publisher who published the book sought to release it with Doré's illustrations. The number of engraver's drawings reached by May 1862 forty-four thousand.
"Lost heaven". 1866
One of the illustrations made by Doré for John Milton's poem " Lost heaven". This engraving shows fallen Angel, expelled from Paradise for pride.
"Global flood". 1866
"The Divine Comedy"
One of the illustrations for Divine Comedy» Dante.
What is engraving? An impression on paper or its substitute materials, made from a wooden, metal or stone board, specially processed by the master and covered with paint. This is the most general definition of engraving in terms of technology. And, however, this simple principle has given rise to a huge number of types, subspecies, varieties of engraving. Throughout the history of engraving, engraving techniques are born and die. One can even dare to assert that each new style in European art is associated with one or another technique of engraving.
Why engraving is the only kind visual arts with such technical diversity? In order to understand this, it is necessary to understand for yourself that it is engraving that occupies a special position among other types of art. Referring to graphics, like drawing, it does not carry that immediacy, often sketchiness, the desire to embody the very first thought, the very first feeling, which is so characteristic of the drawing; engraving is never art for the artist himself, which very often characterizes drawing. And this outward appeal, appeal to the viewer, engraving is in the same row as painting or sculpture.
But what distinguishes engraving from these forms of art is precisely the quality that makes it related to drawing: engraving always enters into a special, intimate relationship with the viewer. The engraving - both in size and circulation - is designed to ensure that he, the viewer, remains alone with it, holds it in his hands, peers in detail at the smallest detail of the image.
2. K.MELLAN Plath St. Veronica 1649 Copper engraving (detail)
Engraving is born almost simultaneously as a woodcut and as a cutter. The time of its appearance is to blame for this technical dualism - the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Renaissance. To the north of the Alps, woodcut dominates, and in its bright decorativeness, distinct contrast of language, maximum desire for expressiveness of the image, for drama, generalization, highlighting the main - in everything we see character traits medieval artistic thinking. In the 15th century woodcuts, the composition and every detail of it is a sign of the image to a much greater extent than the image of nature. Perhaps it is precisely the symbolism of woodcuts that makes it possible to separate the artist and the carver with such consistency: the sign, by its very nature, is non-individual, impersonal.
The original form of engraving - woodcut, or woodcut, known in the East for more than a thousand years, appeared in Europe in the early Renaissance, at the very end of the 14th century, and became widespread in XV-XVI centuries. It developed mainly from the technique of printing on fabrics using wooden stamps (the so-called heel), embossing “printed” gingerbread with carved boards, etc. for Europe, the material is paper. The spread of paper, which to this day is the main and so far little replaceable component for printing processes of a diverse nature, was the most necessary prerequisite for the development of all printmaking techniques.
It is difficult to name a material that would be as important for other types of fine art as paper for graphics. If in painting the surface of the canvas overlaps, goes under a layer of primer and body paints, then in drawings and engravings the color of paper plays the role of a luminous medium, actively participating in the compositional structure of the sheet and largely predetermining its character. It is possible with good reason to assert that if there were no paper, there would be no graphic art itself.
For the first time, engraving made it possible to print not only a drawing, but also a text: a printed image was combined with the printed word, which made the educational impact of both immeasurably increased. Engraved books began to be published simultaneously with engraved leaflets. Until the Gutenberg movable type technique became widespread - and for a number of books even after that - the text of each page, along with illustrations, was engraved on a single wooden board (“blockbucher”).
However, in the initial period of its development, woodcut engraving had modest technical capabilities. It was the so-called edged, or, in other words, longitudinal woodcut, which was performed on boards of the usual type (in which the wood fibers run parallel to the surface), from medium-hard wood species: pears, lindens.
On the polished surface of such a board, a drawing was usually applied with a pen, each line of which was cut off with a knife on both sides. Then, with knives and chisels of various sections, they hollowed out, deepening all the gaps between the strokes, so that only the lines of the drawing remained protruding in relief and a convex printing plate was obtained. Usually, the author-artist limited himself to drawing on a board, which was then processed by a craftsman - a woodcarver (“formschneider”), who tried to cut out the applied image, all lines, strokes, dots as accurately as possible.
Thus, in the woodcut there was a gap between artistic creativity and technical performance (however, when a highly qualified formschneider performed the thread, there was a certain creative moment transferring a picture into a material). On the other hand, if the authors-artists themselves in all cases cut boards according to their own compositions, they would hardly have been able to leave such a large woodcut heritage as, for example, Dürer, who has about one hundred and ninety engraving sheets.
Initially, woodcuts were printed by rubbing the paper against the board with a rag or bone (just as now engravers often print test prints of woodcuts).
With the spread of book printing, prints from engraved wooden boards also began to be obtained in a conventional letterpress printing press.
A.BOSS Printer's workshop of copper engravings 1642. Etching
Daggers, blades and sheaths of swords, vases, goblets, metal plates for book bindings, belt buckles and various fasteners, parts of horse harness, etc. have long been decorated with engraved ornamental and figured images. mass - enamel. For engraved figurative images, mainly of religious content, which were made on small gold, silver or copper plates, niello was usually used instead of colored enamel. After the molten niello that filled the lines embedded in a metal plate or embossed on it solidified, the plate was polished and a brilliant black pattern that stood out against a light background was obtained. This technique, which was especially widely used from the middle of the 15th century by Italian masters, the so-called niello (niel), apparently, was one of the immediate predecessors of engraving incisors.
The desire to evaluate the quality of the drawing before it was filled with niello (after which it is already difficult to make any corrections to it), as well as the desire to save it as a model for subsequent work, led to attempts to rub paint into the depressions of niello and then print it on wax, and later on paper. Thus, the first step was taken towards the special production of engraved plates for printing - a step all the more natural since many of the medieval goldsmiths and silversmiths simultaneously worked in various types of fine arts, were engaged in easel painting and drawing and were interested in reproducing their compositions. It is indicative that all the tools necessary for making incisive engravings - chisels (cuts), punches for making points, grinding trowels, scrapers for cutting metal burrs - were borrowed from the arsenal of jewelry art.
In this regard, the story of George Vasari is interesting, according to which one of the Italian laundresses, while hanging wet linen in her yard, somehow accidentally dropped part of it on niello, which her silver jeweler neighbor had laid out to dry in the sun. When she then lifted this linen, she was amazed to see that a drawing of niello was imprinted on it. This is how the first print with niello was allegedly made. This story seems to be one of the legends, which are many in Vasari's Biographies, besides, he mistakenly calls the Florentine Mazo Finiguerra (1426-1464) the inventor of copper engraving and refers this event to the 1460s, while the first engravings on copper appeared, apparently, in Germany and much earlier. However, the fundamental connection between niello and the beginning of printing from metal boards was noticed by Vasari quite correctly.
For cutting engraving, a flat copper board is taken, which is carefully polished on the front side, since the slightest scratch or dot on the wei leaves its mark on the print. Then, using various techniques, the outline of the image is applied to the board and the engraving process itself begins - metal carving. To obtain strokes and lines of a different nature, cutters-graves of various sections, cuts and shapes are used, and the thinnest "hair" lines are applied with needles. The main metallographic cutter - a burr - has a section of a rhombus or triangle. The metal burrs remaining at the edges of each stroke (barba) are carefully cut off with a scraper.
A board finished with engraving is stuffed with thick paint with a leather swab, which is easily peeled off and remains only in cut, recessed places. For printing incisor engravings, as for all intaglio engravings, relatively thick, very little glued paper is usually used, which, when moistened under strong pressure in a special intaglio machine, selects the paint layer well from the recesses of the engraved cliché.
Copper engraving in the form in which it was used by the old masters was a harsh, difficult art that required great internal discipline and perseverance in work. Carving on a copper board the thinnest lines, strokes and dots, sometimes visible only under a magnifying glass, and having almost no opportunities for significant correction of what was done, the engraver had to have great knowledge and confident skill in drawing, sharp eyesight, as well as impeccable accuracy and hardness of the hand. This painstaking technique in the past was associated with such a great investment of time and effort that today is almost impossible to imagine. Thus, the famous engraving by Dürer “The Horseman, Death and the Devil”, which has a relatively small format (24.7 × 18.9 cm), was engraved for more than three months, not counting the time spent on preliminary sketches. And for the engraving on copper in the modern "half-sheet" format from the work oil painting qualified engraver-reproductionist in XVII-XIX centuries sometimes it took more than a year.
The engraving was based on a deep, almost mathematical pre-calculation, down to every single stroke. This is evidenced, in particular, by a very clever technical trick demonstrated by the 17th-century French copper engraver Claude Mellan. The famous sheet of this master “Plat of St. Veronica" with the image of the face of Christ was entirely executed by one continuous line starting in the center of the image. At the same time, the entire plastic form was created by one thickening of this line, which conveys the movement of chiaroscuro.
The first dated incisal engravings on copper date back to the middle of the 15th century, but the skill with which they were made suggests that incisal engraving originated at an earlier period. Apparently, at the beginning of the 15th century, a machine was also invented for printing engravings with a horizontal movement of an impression under a cylindrical shaft, very similar in design to a modern intaglio machine, on which etchings and other intaglio prints are usually printed by hand. This is indicated by the blackness and richness of prints characteristic of intaglio printing of the earliest German engravings, which could only be obtained by printing on wet paper and under high pressure. I
The equipment for printing intaglio engravings and the very process of printing them are depicted in the etching of the famous French graphic artist of the 17th century Abraham Boss "Workshop of a Copper Engraving Printer". One of the printers stuffs the paint with a leather swab into the deep strokes on the board, another erases unnecessary paint from the surface of the board, and the third prints an impression - literally drags the board with paper overlaid on it through an intaglio press. Ready prints are hung in the back of the workshop to dry.
The visual possibilities of engraving on copper immediately attracted the attention of a number of artists. major artists, and the art of engraving on copper began to develop rapidly. Already in the second half of the 15th century, a high artistic and technical level was achieved in the engravings of such German graphic artists as the “Master of Playing Cards”, who worked in 1435-1455, “Master E.S.” (1450-1467) and Martin Schongauer (c. 1445-1491), as well as Italian painters of the early Renaissance, who did a lot of engraving engravings - Antonio Pollaiolo (c. 1430-1498) and Andrea Mantegna (1431-1506). The engravings of these masters are distinguished by the confidence and beauty of the contour, covering the forms, the richness and softness of the tone, which is created by the delicate and dense masonry of fine strokes.
Another type of deep engraving on metal, which arose shortly after engraving incisors, was etching, which appeared, apparently, at the very turn of the 16th century in Germany and shortly after that in Italy.
For etching, a polished metal board was covered with a layer of acid-resistant varnish, which was originally made from a mixture of wax and resin. After the varnish had hardened, its surface was smoked. On this black ground, usually sanguine, which stood out well on it, the contour of the drawing was crushed or otherwise translated. Then, with an etching needle, the ground was scratched to the very surface of the metal - the lines of the pattern now became visible in the color of the exposed copper. The deepening of the strokes was carried out chemically - by etching with acids. The old method of etching a design to decorate metal objects thus came to the service of graphic art.
The mobility and flexibility of etching lines is incomparably greater than that of those cut with a chisel. Here, that significant physical effort is no longer required, the tension of the entire multi-joint mechanism of the arm from the hand to the shoulder, which fetters the freedom of the incisor. A correctly sharpened needle freely and quickly - perhaps even more freely than a pencil or a pen on paper - glides, cutting through the soft etching ground, conveying the spontaneity of the artist's creative impulse. Etching allows you to apply the lightest gentle shading, outline the finest details of the image and create soft tonal transitions. A different pace of work gives rise to other aesthetic qualities; here the widest pictorial effects can be achieved simply and directly. Different duration of etching with successive varnishing of those parts of the board that should no longer be etched - the so-called step etching, invented by the French engraver Jacques Callot (1592-1635), allows you to get strokes of different depths, giving different strengths of tone - from light silvery to saturated black.
Although both engraving and etching are intaglio, there is a significant difference between their printing forms. A line cut on a copper board with a burr is a smooth triangular groove with smooth walls. After the engraver cleans off the barbs, the edges of the lines on the surface of the board will also become completely even and in print they will give a frequent and clear impression. The points taken out by the engraver have the same clean edge. various shapes- diamond-shaped, triangular, etc. It is the alternation of clearly defined stripes and specks that creates a unique silvery tone, characteristic of engraving.
The etched etching line looks different. Acid poisons the metal not uniformly everywhere, in addition, under the action of acid, the metal corrodes in places. Therefore, the same line in its different sections becomes either shallower or deeper, and its very notch in the board has an irregular, “ulcerated” shape. Acid also corrodes the edges of the lines on the very surface of the board, giving them raggedness and graininess. By varying the duration of etching and the strength of the acid, lines of the most varied nature can be obtained. The ink selected from such lines when printing with moistened paper is not printed as cleanly and clearly as from the trace of the cutter, but more juicy and with an uneven grainy texture. Therefore, next to the graphic correctness and purity of the incisal line, for some masters, the very etching line already looks much more picturesque. At the same time, some etchers also achieved purity of lines in this technique.
As in no other form of printmaking, in the movement of the etching line, the artist’s individual drawing style is so clearly revealed that the largest masters of painting and drawing - just remember Parmigianino, Callo, Van Dyck, Ostade, Rembrandt, Tiepolo, Fragonard, Goya, Manet, Whistler, Zorna, Valentina Serova - used etching as the author's graphics. Etching received special development in the 17th century in Holland, which produced the greatest etcher - Rembrandt.
With the direct and improvisational nature of etching, its execution can often be accompanied by a number of accidents and surprises, moreover, an etched board can withstand a smaller circulation than an engraved one with a chisel. Therefore, for the purposes of reproduction, where special precision was required, etching as an independent technique was used relatively little until the second half of the 19th century.
Another type of improvisational engraving on metal next to etching - the so-called "dry needle" - in terms of the flexibility of the movement of lines, occupies an intermediate place between engraving and etching.
At the same time, technically easy way with an etching needle, without any etching, the drawing is directly scratched on the surface of a polished metal plate. The first samples of the "dry needle" are still found among the German engravers of the Schongauer era. Unlike a cutter, which cleanly removes a strip of metal from the thickness of the board, the needle only breaks through, scratches its surface, and the barbs are usually preserved here, since they give a special juiciness and beauty to the “dry needle” print. The strokes of the “dry needle” have a relatively shallow depth and, under pressure during the printing process, go off faster than incisal or etched ones (barbs fly off the easiest way), which limits the number of good prints. Due to these features, drypoint was used relatively rarely as an independent printmaking method, more often used in combination with other metal engraving methods.
The first attempts to copy drawing and painting through engraving were made in the middle or second half of the 15th century in Italy and Germany.
So, according to the story of Vasari, Sandro Botticelli created a number of drawings specifically for their reproduction in print. However, unlike Pollaiolo and Mantegna, who did not deal with prints with his own hands, Botticelli commissioned the Florentine goldsmith Baccio Baldini (1436? -1487), whom Vasari calls among the founders of Italian engraving on copper, to engrave his drawings.
Let's continue the theme of creativity, look here, and here are amazing , who saw ? The original article is on the website InfoGlaz.rf Link to the article from which this copy is made -Albrecht Dürer is a German painter and graphic artist, recognized as the largest European woodcut master and one of the greatest masters Western European art of the Renaissance.
Durer was born on May 21, 1471 in Nuremberg, in the family of a jeweler who came to this German city from Hungary in the middle of the 15th century. There were eight children in this family, of which future artist was the third child and the second son. His father, Albrecht Dürer Sr., was a goldsmith.
At first, the father tried to captivate his son with jewelry, but he discovered in his son the talent of an artist. At the age of 15, Albrecht was sent to study at the workshop of the leading Nuremberg artist of the time, Michael Wohlgemuth. There Dürer mastered not only painting, but also engraving on wood and copper. According to tradition, his studies in 1490 ended with a journey - for four years the young man traveled to a number of cities in Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands, continuing to improve in the fine arts and processing of materials.
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| self-portrait (drawing with a silver pencil, 1484), |
The first of the famous self-portraits of Dürer was written by him at the age of 13 (drawing with a silver pencil).
In 1494 Dürer returned to Nuremberg, soon after which he married. Then, in the same year, he made a trip to Italy, where he got acquainted with the work of Mantegna, Polayolo, Lorenzo di Credi and other masters. In 1495 Dürer returned to hometown and over the next ten years creates a significant part of his engravings.
In 1520, the artist travels to the Netherlands, where he becomes a victim unknown disease that tormented him until the end of his life.
Durer Aitoshi (Hungarian Ajtósi) in Hungarian means "door"
The image of an open door on the shield on the coat of arms is a literal translation of the word, which in Hungarian means "door". Eagle wings and the black skin of a man are symbols often found in southern German heraldry; they were also used by the Nuremberg family of Dürer's mother, Barbara Holper.
IN last years life, Albrecht Dürer pays much attention to the improvement of defensive fortifications, which was caused by the development firearms. In his work "Guide to the fortification of cities, castles", published in 1527, Dürer describes, in particular, a fundamentally new type of fortification, which he called the bastei.
Dürer was the first German artist who began to work simultaneously in both types of engraving - on wood and on copper. He achieved extraordinary expressiveness in engraving on wood, reforming the traditional manner of working and using the methods of work that had developed in engraving on metal.
In all works, there is a living person contemporary to Dürer, often of a peasant type, with a characteristic, expressive face, dressed in a costume of that time and surrounded by an accurately conveyed setting or landscape of a certain area. great place given to household details.
Here, for the first time, the artist's interest in the naked body is revealed, which Dürer conveys accurately and truthfully, choosing primarily the ugly and characteristic.
Engravings on metal and wood by Albrecht Dürer
The engraving "Knight, Death and the Devil" reveals the world of acutely conflicting relations between man and environment, his understanding of duty and morality. The path of the armored rider is fraught with danger. From the gloomy thicket of the forest, ghosts jump across to him - the devil with a halberd and death with an hourglass, reminding him of the transience of everything earthly, of the dangers and temptations of life. Paying no attention to them, the rider resolutely follows the chosen path. In his stern appearance - the tension of the will, illuminated by the light of reason, the moral beauty of a person, faithful to duty, courageously confronting danger.
"Sea miracle" on the topic goes back to folk tale, the image of "Nemesis", apparently, was borrowed by the artist from Poliziano's poem "Manto". In both engravings, Dürer brings a local flavor, using as a background an image of a medieval German town in a mountainous landscape, close to those that he sketched during his trips to southern Germany.
Both sheets are dominated by an ugly but full of life figure of a naked woman.
The engraving "Nemesis" embodies a certain philosophical idea, undoubtedly connected with the events of those days; the figure of a woman is very far from the classical ideal, transformed into a monumental image of the winged Goddess of Fate, hovering over Germany.
In one hand, the woman holds a precious golden phial, in the other, a horse harness: objects hinting at the difference in the fate of people of different classes. It is characteristic that in ancient Greek mythology Nemesis was the goddess of vengeance. The duties of the goddess included punishment for crimes, monitoring the fair and equal distribution of benefits among mortals. In the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, Nemesis was more seen as the executor of fate.
The idea of "Melancholia" has not yet been revealed, but the image of a powerful winged woman impresses with its significance and psychological depth.
Melancholy is the embodiment of a higher being, a genius endowed with intellect, possessing all the achievements of human thought of that time, striving to penetrate the secrets of the universe, but obsessed with doubts, anxiety, disappointment and longing that accompany creative search.
"Melancholia" is one of the works that "threw the whole world in amazement"
(Vasari).
Dürer painted portraits, laid the foundations of the German landscape, transformed traditional biblical and gospel stories investing in them a new vital content. The artist's particular attention was drawn to engraving, first woodcut, and then engraving on copper. Dürer expanded the theme of graphics, attracting literary, everyday, mischievous genre scenes.
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Men's bath1497. British Museum, London. |
Allegoricalness, symbolism of images, intricacy of complex theological concepts, mystical fantasy are preserved from the Middle Ages; from the images of ancient religiosity - the clash of spiritual and material forces, a feeling of tension, struggle, confusion and humility.
Dürer did not have a large workshop with many students. His true disciples are unknown. Presumably, three Nuremberg artists are primarily associated with him - the brothers Hans Sebald (1500-1550) and Bartel (1502-1540) Beham and Georg Penz (c. 1500-1550), known mainly as masters of small format engravings (the so-called kleinmeisters ; they also worked as painters). It is interesting to mention that in 1525 all three young masters were tried and expelled from Nuremberg for atheistic views and revolutionary ideas.
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Satyr family1505. Art Institute, Chicago. |
The picturesquely interpreted forest landscape organically includes figures of people and animals embodying various symbols.
At the turn of the 1500s, Dürer made a number of engravings on copper and wood, in which the young master's search was clearly defined. These engravings, even when they contain religious, mythological or allegorical subjects, are primarily genre scenes with a pronounced local character.
Everywhere in the first place is a person, and everything else plays the role of his environment.
The engraving "Saint Jerome in the cell" reveals the ideal of a humanist who devoted himself to the comprehension of higher truths. In solving the theme, in everyday interpretation of the scientist's image, the leading role is played by the interior, transformed by the artist into an emotional poetic environment. Figure of Jerome immersed in translations of sacred books
Jerome's cell is not a gloomy ascetic refuge, but a modest room modern home. The everyday intimate democratic interpretation of the image of Jerome is given outside the official church interpretation, perhaps under the influence of the teachings of the reformers.
Wood engravings by Albrecht Dürer from the cycle
"Apocalypse" or "Revelation of St. John the Theologian",
1497-1498, Kunsthalle Gallery, Karlsruhe.
First major work Durer was a series of large format woodcuts of fifteen sheets on the theme of the Apocalypse of St. John the Evangelist
This series of Dürer intertwined medieval religious beliefs with disturbing moods caused by the social events of the present of those days.
This engraving by Albrecht Dürer according to summary Revelations of John the Theologian The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants what must happen soon. And He showed it by sending it through His Angel to His servant John
In the allegorical scenes, Dürer introduced images of representatives of various classes of German society, living real people, full of passionate and disturbing experiences and active action. Particularly stands out famous leaf with the image of four apocalyptic horsemen with a bow, sword, scales and pitchfork, who threw down the faces of people who fled from them - a peasant, a city dweller and an emperor. This image is clearly connected with Dürer's contemporary life: there is no doubt that the four horsemen symbolize destructive forces in the artist's mind - war, disease, divine justice and death, sparing no one. ordinary people, no emperor.
Terrible pathos emanates from the sheet "Four Horsemen". In terms of the all-destroying force of impulse and gloomy expression, this composition has no equal in the German art of that time. Death, judgment, war and pestilence rush furiously over the earth, destroying everything in its path.
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Saint John and twenty-four elders in heaven |
The breadth of coverage of the world, characteristic of Dürer's engravings, was not known to the German art of the 15th century; at the same time, the restless spirit of late German Gothic lives in most of Dürer's sheets.
This engraving by Albrecht Dürer according to a summary of the Revelation of John the Evangelist
And when He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony they had.
10 And they cried out with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, Holy and True, will you not judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?
11 And white robes were given to each of them, and it was said to them that they should rest for a little while longer, until both their co-workers and their brethren, who would be killed like them, would complete the number.
12 And when He had opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, and the moon became like blood.
13 And the stars of heaven fell to the earth like a fig tree shattered strong wind sheds her unripe figs.
for the great day of his wrath has come, and who can stand?
1 And after this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, so that the wind would not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.
2 And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, saying:
3 Do no harm to the earth, or the sea, or the trees, until we have sealed the foreheads of the servants of our God.
1 And when He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven, as it were, for half an hour.
2 And I saw seven angels standing before God; and seven trumpets were given to them.
3 And another angel came and stood before the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, that he, with the prayers of all the saints, offered it on the golden altar which was before the throne.
4 And the smoke of incense ascended with the prayers of the saints at the hand of the angel before God.
5 And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire from the altar, and cast it to the ground: and there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings, and an earthquake.
6 And the seven angels, having seven trumpets, prepared to blow.
Revelations of John the Evangelist
1 The fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fall from heaven to earth, and the key was given to it from the treasury of the abyss.
2 She opened the pit of the abyss, and smoke came out of the pit like smoke from a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke from the well.
3 And the locusts came out of the smoke upon the earth, and power was given to them, such as the scorpions of the earth have.
4 And it was said to her that she should not harm the grass of the earth, and no greenery, and no tree, but only to one people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.
5 And it was given to her not to kill them, but only to torment them for five months; and its torment is like the torment of a scorpion when it stings a man.
6 In those days people will seek death, but they will not find it; wish to die, but death will flee from them.
Revelations of John the Evangelist
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Saint John was given a book of revelationsKunsthalle, Karlsruhe, Germany. |
9 And I went to the Angel, and said to him, Give me the book. He said to me: take it and eat it; it will be bitter in your belly, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.
10 And I took the book out of the hand of the angel, and ate it; and she was sweet as honey in my mouth; and when I had eaten it, it became bitter in my belly.
11 And he said to me, You must again prophesy about peoples, and tribes, and tongues, and many kings.
Revelations of John the Evangelist
1 And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun; under her feet is the moon, and on her head is a crown of twelve stars.
2 She was in the womb, and screamed from the pains and pangs of childbirth.
3 And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems.
4 His tail carried a third of the stars from the sky and threw them to the ground. This dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth, he would devour her baby.
5 And she brought forth a male child, who is to rule all nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne.
6 But the woman fled into the wilderness, where a place had been prepared for her by God, to be fed there a thousand two hundred and sixty days.
Revelations of John the Evangelist
In the engraving “The Battle of the Archangel Michael with the Dragon”, the pathos of a fierce battle is emphasized by the contrasts of light and shadow, the restless intermittent rhythm of the lines. In the heroic image of a young man with an inspired and determined face, in a landscape illuminated by the sun with its boundless expanses, faith in the victory of a bright beginning is expressed.
1 And I looked, and behold, a Lamb stood on Mount Zion, and with him a hundred and forty-four thousand, having his Father's name written on their foreheads.
2 And I heard a voice from heaven, like the noise of many waters, and like the sound of great thunder; and heard the voice of harpists, as it were, playing their harp.
3 They sing like new song before the throne and before the four animals and the elders; and no one could learn this song but these one hundred and forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the earth.
4 These are they who are not defiled with women, for they are virgins; they are those who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. They are redeemed from among men, as to the firstborn of God and the Lamb,
5 and there is no guile in their mouth; they are blameless before the throne of God.
6 And I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having an everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth and to every nation and kindred and tongue and people;
Revelations of John the Evangelist
1 And one of the seven angels who had seven bowls came and, speaking to me, said to me, Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot sitting on many waters;
2 The kings of the earth committed fornication with her, and the inhabitants of the earth became drunk with the wine of her fornication.
3 And he led me in the spirit into the wilderness; and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, full of blasphemous names, with seven heads and ten horns.
4 And the woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, precious stones and pearls, and held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominations and the uncleanness of her fornication;
5 And on her forehead was written the name Mystery, Babylon the Great, mother of harlots and abominations of the earth.
Revelations of John the Evangelist
1 And I saw an angel descending from heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand.
2 He took the dragon, the ancient serpent, which is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years,
3 And cast him into the abyss, and shut him up, and set a seal over him, that he should no longer deceive the nations, until the thousand years were ended; after this he must be set free for a little time.
4 And I saw thrones, and those who sat on them, to whom it was given to judge, and the souls of those who were beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, who did not bow down to the beast, nor to his image, and did not receive the mark on their forehead or on their hand. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
Revelations of John the Evangelist
Albrecht Dürer is a famous German painter and engraver. Born in 1471 - died in 1528. We have already written about this artist in the article and virtual gallery. In this part, we will dwell in more detail on the engravings of this wonderful artist. Despite the fact that his paintings are very professional, excellent and practically priceless, special meaning this artist began to be given precisely because of his unusual engravings. Engravings made Dürer an outstanding artist of all time.
As already mentioned, in 1495 Albrecht Dürer opens his own engraving workshop in Nuremberg. It was here that the most famous works, which are not only admired by connoisseurs of beauty all over the world, but which still haunt many mystical-minded people. The first was The Four Witches. It was she who came to Italy and impressed the audience so much that Dürer gained fame throughout Europe. The last engraving of the German artist was the "Four Apostles" created in 1526.
A few words about the technique: woodcut, wood engraving, convex engraving in the era of Dürer - this is a board made of pear wood or beech, on which an image is specially hollowed out and an impression is obtained from it on a copper surface. First, the artist draws a drawing with a pen or pencil, and then the carver (Albrecht Dürer had several carvers) cuts out the gaps between the lines with a knife or gouges with a chisel. After that, an imprint is obtained on another surface (on copper) from this board, resulting in a mirror-image image. I must say that the artist himself never cut boards, but only painted.
The popularity of his engravings was made not only by the originality and complexity of production, but also by the special mystical, religious meaning of the works. Many of them display biblical omens and descriptions of the End of the World, the Apocalypse. Durer even released a whole series of similar works, which is called: “ Apocalypse in faces". Death, hell, the torments of sinners, demons, the Devil, angels... Perhaps that is why they have occupied and continue to occupy the minds of people so much, even those who are far from the art of engraving. Well, and, of course, the genius of the works, an unusual, unique at that time way to create engravings, an improved method that helps to convey not only images and mood, but even chiaroscuro.
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Angel with the key to hell
Battle of the Angels
Prodigal son
Whore of Babylon
Hercules at the crossroads
The Sun Woman and the Seven Headed Dragon
The beast with seven heads and its number is 666
Melancholy
Sea miracle
Men's bath
Martyrdom
Nemesis
Seduction of a lazy person
Knight, Death and Devil
Saint Jerome in the cell
Saint John and twenty-four elders in heaven
What are engravings? This question interests many. For some, a sonorous foreign word is associated with the image of a biblical story on a metal or stone board, others believe that this is just a drawing carved with a knife on the surface of the table.
Nevertheless, the question: "What is engraving?" - it is impossible to answer unambiguously, since the technologies for creating drawings are quite complex. But one thing is certain. Engraving is a special kind of graphic art, which has its own outstanding artists and consummate craftsmen.
engraving technique
The art of painting does not involve any technical means, except for a set of artistic brushes, a palette and an easel. Engravings, which require multi-stage technical preparation, with many trial attempts, are another matter. But then why is it needed? Isn't it easier to draw one picture and not waste time and effort on copying it multiple times. Moreover, the authentic does not tolerate repetition. However, this principle does not work here. The effect of the engraving lies in its unusualness, the structure of the drawing is fascinating.
Graphic images obtained by printing are called "printing". However, an engraving is an impression from any original, while an engraving is an impression from an engraved board. What are engravings in terms of manufacturing technology? Simple manipulations, during which it is necessary to press a sheet of paper against a board on which paint was previously applied. Then this sheet is carefully separated from the board - and the engraving is ready.
metal and wood
The art of engraving does not consist in printing, but in making an original, from which any number of copies can then be made. The stronger the material from which the "board" is made, the more prints can be obtained. There are two types of engravings: letterpress and gravure. The first way is to artistically cut through the original in a mirror image, so that the ink transfers to the paper from the outer surface of the cut out picture. And the second method provides that the paint will transfer to a paper sheet from the recesses filled with it on the "board".
Art originated in the 15th century, since then it has been repeatedly modified. Engraving boards were originally made from sheet copper, the softest metal. Later, woodcut technologies appeared, according to which the board was cut from hardwood. This method was less labor-intensive, and it was also possible to create multi-color prints. To do this, it was necessary to make several boards with different arrangements of drawing elements. The sheet was applied in turn to each board, with intermediate drying, as a result of which the image was colored.
Engravings vintage
Prints became widespread in the 15th century. The most valuable engravings were created at the same time, in the workshops of the German artists Martin Schongauer and Albrecht Dürer. The Italians Andrea Mantegna and Antonio Pollaiolo did not lag behind them.
In the 16th century, the art of artistic print was widely recognized, in Europe engraving was elevated to the rank of high art, mainly due to Durer's masterpieces, such as the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, the Coat of Arms of Death, Melancholia.
The end of the 16th century was marked by a breakthrough in business artistic engraving, simple drawings became a thing of the past, expressive plasticity appeared, cutting technologies became much more complicated, parallel and cross hatching made it possible to achieve fantastic results in achieving a three-dimensional effect and in the play of chiaroscuro. The drawing acquired signs of sophistication, which served as an incentive for further improvement of techniques.
Engraving development
Artists began to use etching of the metal base and received the technology of etching, which flourished in full force only in the 17th century. The brilliant portrait painter Rembrandt also took up engravings and achieved significant success in this field. The artist Jean Callot devoted his entire life to the art of engraving and created a whole gallery of portraits of his contemporaries. I became interested in translating my paintings into engravings. And Rubens organized a special workshop in which his paintings were reproduced.
Popularity
The 17th century was a golden time for the development of a new art - engraving and etching. The list of genres in which the artists worked was expanding. These were portraits and landscapes, pastorals, battle scenes, still lifes, animals and Many artists of that time considered it an honor to try their hand at the art of engraving. Entire albums appeared, united thematically, according to plot and artistic features. Hogarth's satirical etchings, Khodovetsky's miniatures, and a series of engravings by Francisco Goya instantly became famous.
Printmaking art in Japan
The Land of the Rising Sun, known for its artistic traditions, did not stand aside. Japanese engraving is a whole layer of the country's culture, part of its national fine arts. The history of the appearance of the first prints of "ukiyo-e" goes back to the 17th century. Back then, Japanese prints were printed in black and white. In the early 18th century, artists introduced color printing and ukiyo-e was transformed.
Engravings in Japan were inexpensive and in steady demand. They depicted scenes from the life of the common people. First of all, these are beautiful geisha (it was main topic), then came the sumo wrestlers, and in third place were famous actors kabuki theatre. After some time, landscape engraving came into fashion.
Protection of especially valuable specimens
The most famous etchings, both ancient and recent, are systematized. The engraving, the photo of which is available to the public, has its own registration number and is usually registered. This is necessary in order to artistic value remained untouched. Rare copies, such as the masterpieces of Albrecht Dürer, are under the protection of UNESCO. A world-famous or especially valuable engraving, photos and reproductions of which are placed in special Interpol directories, is protected by special services.
Modernity
In the early 20th century, the development of engraving as an art form continued. Under Soviet rule, a whole generation of talented artists appeared who successfully worked in the field of etchings and prints. During this period, the engraving experienced its next take-off, the drawing became even more complicated, its expressiveness approached its climax. In the 1930s, the Russian and then the Soviet school of engraving was formed, represented by talented artists as well as their students. perspective further development etching art loomed iridescent. Then, already in the pre-war years, engraving became a poster, and its popularity declined markedly.
After the Great Patriotic War, for almost 20 years, prints were produced only as a means of inexpensive but effective Soviet propaganda. Currently, the art of engraving is in a state of some stagnation, there are no new enthusiasts, and older artists are busy with commercial projects. Although even today, to the question of what engravings are, any Russian is able to give an exhaustive answer. Perhaps in the future there will be new types of engravings, because art tends to be reborn in new guises.
Engraving appeared in the 15th century, along with the printed book and the great geographical discoveries. As a new art form, accessible due to its cheapness, engraving gained popularity extremely quickly. She became the first illustration in the book, first as a woodcut (woodcut) and then engraving (on metal).
The plots of engraving are as diverse as life itself, and it seeks to accommodate it in all its manifestations. Following the traditional religious motives it contains images of ancient mythology, views of distant countries, portraits of rulers, secular and religious figures, writers and artists, images of flora and fauna, fashionable pictures and calendars, maps, drawings, gardens and parks, famous monuments of antiquity.
On the one hand, the engraving is laconic, there is nothing superfluous here, everything is thought out to the smallest detail. On the other hand, the engravers' works are full of allusions and allegories, everything has a metaphorical meaning, each object corresponds to a certain concept in accordance with the medieval tradition.
We present to your attention the most famous engravers of several eras and their most outstanding works.
Albrecht Durer (1471 - 1528)
Albrecht Dürer became famous at an early age for his engravings and today is considered the most famous of the Renaissance artists. Albrecht's family had 18 children, he was the third child and the second son in the family. Dürer's father took him to his workshop to teach him how to work with gold, but the boy showed the ability to paint and therefore went as an apprentice to the engraver Mikhail Wolgemut.
Durer was equally and amazingly gifted as a painter, engraver and draftsman, but the main place in his work belongs to graphics. His legacy is huge, in its diversity it can be compared with the legacy of Leonardo da Vinci.
"Knight, Death and the Devil". 1513
Based on the symbolism of the objects surrounding the knight, we can say that he rather personifies a negative force and unites with the devil, and is not his victim. Therefore, it is no coincidence that a fox tail is attached to the peak of the rider, the sign of a knight - a robber. The image of a fox's tail was associated with the idea of lies, hypocrisy, the desire to snatch one's share of earthly goods by cunning. The image of the dog is affirmed here as adherence to the devil, greed and envy. The lizard is a symbol of pretense, an evil demon. The skull is associated with death and original sin.
"Melancholy". 1514
The Soviet art critic Ts. G. Nesselshtraus analyzes this engraving in the following way: “... we have before us the seashore, the boundless expanse of water and the twilight sky, cut through by a rainbow and ominous rays of a comet. In the foreground, surrounded by carpentry and construction tools scattered in disorder, sits A winged woman resting her head on her hand, deep in thought, a winged woman holding an open compass in her hand, a bunch of keys and a purse tied to her belt.
Behind the woman, a gloomy boy climbed onto the millstone with difficulty deducing something on the plank. A skinny dog curled up beside him. To the right, in the depths, a stone building rises, perhaps unfinished, as a wooden staircase is leaning against it. An hourglass, scales and a bell hang on the walls of the building, and a magic square is inscribed. In the sky, in the rays of a comet, a huge bat spread its wings. On the wings of the mouse the inscription: "Melancholia I" (...)
Immediately feeling that the winged woman is oppressed by doubts and dissatisfaction, the viewer, however, is at a dead end in front of the many hints scattered here. Why is Melancholia depicted as winged, which means her inactivity, what kind of boy is depicted behind, what is the meaning of the magic square, what are the tools scattered around for?
"Saint Jerome in the Cell". 1514
Saint Jerome is working hard, his pen is in his hand, his head is surrounded by radiance. There is only a book stand on the table, on it is the work of St. Jerome, a crucifix and an inkwell. In the foreground, a small dog and a formidable lion sleep peacefully - this is an obligatory part of the legend of Jerome the Blessed. A large number of details and their careful study are amazing. The picture is full of small objects - symbols that catch the eye of the observer. There are more questions than answers to them, and this makes us think about many things intensely.
"Adam and Eve". 1504
The plot of the engraving is a classic representation of the biblical story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. It is believed that the prototype for the figures of Adam and Eve was the drawings from the ancient statues of Apollo Belvedere and Venus Medicea. Dürer left a full signature on the engraving, unlike his other engravings, marked only with a monogram.
"Walk". 1496
The plot of the Walk, at first glance, is straightforward: a young burgher couple in rich costumes walks outside the city, a rural landscape and a tree are visible in the background. However, the deep philosophical meaning of the plot laid down by the author is in the depiction of Death with an hourglass above his head, looking out from behind a tree. That is why the faces of young people are so thoughtful.
A bleak landscape, evoking hopeless longing, a bush of grass with sharp and dry leaves, limply bending in the wind, also acquires a special meaning. Everything reminds of the temporality of being. The village seen in the distance seems to be fenced off from the young couple by the figure of Death, instills a keen sense of loneliness and isolation from the world.
"The Rape of Proserpina on a Unicorn". 1516
Proserpina, daughter of Ceres, the goddess of grain, was picking irises, roses, violets, hyacinths and daffodils in a meadow with her friends, when Pluto, king of the underworld, spotted her with love. He drove her off in a chariot, causing the abyss to open up before them, and Proserpina was carried away to the underworld. Pluto was forced to let her go, but before that he gave her a taste of a pomegranate seed so that she would not forget the kingdom of death and return to him. Since then, Proserpina spends half the year in the realm of the dead and half in the realm of the living.
"The Satyr Family" 1504
The artist studied proportions, worked on the problem of depicting a naked body. In works on mythological themes, Dürer sought to embody the classical ideal of beauty. The volume of the rounded, almost sculptural form is emphasized by rounded strokes, as it were, sliding across the surface across the structure of the form. The picturesquely interpreted forest landscape organically includes figures of people and animals embodying various symbols.
Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720 - 1778)
Piranesi created "architectural fantasies" that amaze with the grandeur of spatial solutions, contrasts of light and shadow. Piranesi's works have always been valued by collectors as a manifestation of amazing creative imagination and the highest artistic skill.
His work inspired many artists: Piranesi's dungeons were admired by Victor Hugo, who created a whole series of drawings under their influence. Under the influence of his engravings, scenery was created for Shakespeare's Hamlet and Beethoven's opera Fidelio.
And, as horrific as it may sound, Piranesi's architectural ideas inspired the architects of totalitarian regimes, Mussolini's Italy, Stalin's Soviet Union and Hitler's Third Reich, and at the same time he became almost a favorite architect of postmodernism.
The engraver's most famous works are the "Dungeons" cycle and the "Roman Antiquities" cycle.
Cycle "Dungeons" (1749 - 1750)
"Dungeons" in the drawing are much more expressive, feverish than other works by Piranesi of the same period. They are compared with delirium, a nightmare, a breakthrough of the subconscious. Columns lost in darkness and height. Chains and rings for fastening fetters embedded in walls and beams. Drawbridges hanging inside the building. Corridors with cameras running in different directions. Massive stones stacked in pylons and arches. Pedestrian bridges at a terrible height. Stairs twisted and curved at unnatural angles. An infernal machine for deprivation of liberty, depicted with a dramatic effect that is excessive for a fan of classical beauty. The works are executed with amazing accuracy and terrifies the viewer, forcing them to believe that all this really existed.
Cycle "Roman Antiquities" (1748-1788)
In this collection, Piranesi recreated the image of Rome in all its diversity. He made numerous views of the city both from the point of view of the scientist and from the point of view of the traveler. He saw that the remains of the ancient buildings of Rome were disappearing day by day from the damage caused by time, from the greed of the owners, who, with barbaric arrogance, illegally sold them in parts for the construction of new buildings. Therefore, he decided to preserve them through engravings.
"Trevi Fountain". 1776
"View of the Pier of Ripa Grande". 1752
"View of the pier Ripetta". 1753
Pieter Brueghel the Elder (1525 - 1569)
The life and fate of Brueghel is mysterious. Until now, researchers are looking for the fantastic village of the same name, which allegedly gave the name to the young tramp who came to Antwerp for the mythical fish convoy and, although he started late in the sciences and arts, soon brilliantly made up for everything.
"Alchemist". 1560s
Brueghel on the engraving in an ironic manner depicted an alchemist who creates a model of the world and world-creating processes, sets as his task the reproduction and spiritualization of the cosmos, proceeds from the idea of the unity of the world and the universality of change.
"Fools and Jesters"
The main mystery of this engraving is the year of its creation. The engraving shows the date - 1642, but Brueghel the Elder died in 1569. His son, Brueghel the Younger, was not fond of engravings, although he was an artist. Perhaps the numbers on the engraving are not a date at all.
Gustave Doré (1832 - 1883)
Dore can rightfully be called a colossus of illustration, because he seems to have interpreted all the masterpieces of world literature.
In addition to talent in composition and drawing, Dore has the look that is inherent in poets who know the secrets of nature. When engravings began to become wildly popular with the public in the 1860s, every author who wrote a book wanted Doré to illustrate it. Every publisher who published the book sought to release it with Doré's illustrations. The number of engraver's drawings reached by May 1862 forty-four thousand.
"Lost heaven". 1866
One of the illustrations made by Doré for John Milton's poem "Paradise Lost". This engraving depicts a fallen Angel expelled from Paradise for pride.
"Global flood". 1866
One of the illustrations for the "Divine Comedy" by Dante.
