The Four Apostles Albrecht Durer Leslie Purnell
Dec. 3,2012
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The personal life of Albrecht Durer
Albrecht Durer came into the world on May 21, 1471. He was the third out of
eighteen children. His father’s name was Albrecht Durer the Elder, and back in that time period it was a big honor to be named after your father. Albrecht Durer the Elder raised his family in Nuremberg, Germany. He provided for his family by working as a goldsmith. Albrecht Durer went to school for a couple of years. As soon as he learned to read and write, Albrecht quit school. His father wanted to teach him how to be a goldsmith to help out with the family business. At the age of thirteen, Albrecht sketched a self-‐portrait of himself. His family knew he had a special gift. At the age of fifteen, they sent him to be Michael Wolgemut’s apprentice. “Michael Wolgemut was the leading painter in Nuremberg and the head of a large workshop that produced woodcuts for the local printers as well as painted altarpieces on commission”(Snyder pg.319). Albrecht was Wolgemut’s apprentice for three years. He played close attention to Wolgemut’s work, and may have even designed some woodcuts himself. After those three years, Albrecht set off on the next journey in his life, the Wanderjahre. “This traditional custom, which is still practiced in certain German
Purnell 3 professions today, provides an opportunity for young apprentices to widen their professional experience away from home, and to meet people and make contacts for their future business”(Bartrum pg.93). Albrecht traveled to Colmar and Basel where he completed some woodcuts and prints. At the age of 23, he had an arranged marriage to a woman by the name of Agnes Frey. The marriage was arranged between Agnes’ father and Albrecht. 200 florins was the dowry. The wedding day was July 7, 1494 in Nuremberg. Since the marriage was arranged, it was not a surprise that there was no chemistry in their relationship. Shortly after their marriage Albrecht traveled to Italy. He was inspired by all the lovely colors in Italy. Albrecht started to use bright and light colors in his paintings. Not only was he a printer and woodcutter Albrecht was also a painter. Many people say Albrecht was so ahead of his time. His designs were nothing short of amazing. Come April 6, 1528, at the age of 57, Albrecht Durer passed away. He had no children to carry on his name, but left a legacy through his artwork.
The Four Apostles Durer’s last major painting was completed in 1526. The painting consisted of two panels and featured four apostles; Mark, Peter, John, and Paul. Each panel is 84 ½ x 30,” and reside in
Purnell 4 Alte Pinakothek, Munich. Religious artwork was very important to Albrecht. His first pieces that contained Christian symbols were of Adam and Eve. The first man and woman created by God are Adam and Eve. Albrecht was very in touch with his religious side and was not afraid to show it. A year before the Four Apostles was completed Nuremberg complained how some artists in their town were not painting religious objects. By painting the Four Apostles, Durer was proclaiming his own position and clearing his name from any such accusations since he too was an artist in a city left without patrons for religious art. Mark, Peter, Paul, and John each had a special unique relationship with Jesus, but the title of the painting is not entirely true. Mark was in fact an evangelist. An evangelist is someone who spreads the word of the Lord. In the left panel, John is in the front and Peter is in the back. On the right panel, Paul is in the front and Mark is in the back. More surprising is the imputed hierarchy of the foursome. Normally Peter and Paul the “princes of the apostles” as they were called, take priority, but here Saint John replaces Peter’s primacy and stands fully visible before the latter (Snyder pg.347). By looking at the painting, Albrecht was wonderful with color and detail. John has the gospel open and is reading the legible word of God. The creases in the fabric make the painting seam realistic as if the apostles were posing for Albrecht. At the bottom of the panel there are messages that warn against false prophets. Peter is holding the key to heaven. Mark is holding a scroll. Paul has a sword in one hand and a closed scripture in the other. “The imposing figure of Saint Paul fills the composition as he stares menacingly out toward the viewer as if warning him. Paul was the “apostle of the Reformation,” and for Martin
Purnell 5 Luther, founder of the Lutheran religion, he was the wisest witness after Christ and the very best teacher of Christianity” (Snyder pg.347). Albrecht made sure to add those objects in the paintings so it was easier to tell the apostles apart. Each apostle has a connection to the objects in their hands. “Many critics as well as Albrecht thought of this painting to be perfection. It may well be deduced that Durer, after completing the Four Apostles, believed that he had realized to perfection all his moral and artistic aspirations. In this masterpiece he had reached the final stage of both technical and aesthetic development. The problems of form, color, and space had been solved. He had nothing more to learn. He was the equal of the greatest German and Italian painters” (Brion pg. 291). Before the name Peter, he went by Simon. Peter is often referred to as the gatekeeper. He sits at the gates of heaven, and holds the key to the promise land. His faith was not always clear in his beginning stages of following the messiah. There is a bible story about Peter and his brother Andrew, another apostle, fishing and realizing Jesus is the chosen one: Luke 5:1-‐11[1] One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the people crowding around him and listening to the word of God, [2] he saw at the water's edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. [3] He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat. [4] When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a
Purnell 6 catch."[5] Simon answered, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets."[6] When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. [7] So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. [8] When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" [9] For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, [10] and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon's partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, "Don't be afraid; from now on you will catch men." [11] So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him (Wilson). Saint Mark is the special one of the Four Apostles painting. As a child he was raised Jewish, but eventually learned the Christian teachings. Saint Peter would be his mentor, and help him find the way of the Lord. Throughout his lifetime Mark was preaching and spreading the word of God. He even converted his father to Christianity: Once when Aristopolus and his son Mark were walking near the Jordan River, close by the desert, they encountered a raving lion and a lioness. It was evident to Aristopolus that it would be his end and the end of his son, Mark. His compassion for his son compelled him to order him to escape to save himself. Mark answered, "Christ, in whose hands our lives are committed, will not let them prey on us." Saying this, he prayed, "O, Christ, Son of God, protect us from the evil of these two beasts and terminate their offspring from this
Purnell 7 wilderness." Immediately, God granted this prayer, and the two beasts fell dead. His father marveled and asked his son to tell him about Christ. He believed in the Lord Christ at the hands of his son who baptized him (Apostle Mark, 1990). Saint Mark eventually became a martyr for the Christian faith. He is still known as the best evangelist for spreading the word of God. John along with his brother James was very important to Jesus. Both brothers were fisherman with their father, and were called to follow Christ. John was a great evangelist, and was very persuasive. An example comes from John 1: 35-‐42: 35 The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi”, “where are you staying?” 39 He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. 40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah”. 42 He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “So you are Simon the son of John? You shall be called Cephas.” As time went on John became very close with Jesus. He was there for Jesus’ transfiguration as well as the arrest of Jesus at the Garden of Gethsemane. John was also one of the writers of the gospels. His writing took a different approach from the other three gospels. John gave a huge contribution
Purnell 8 through his writing and his service to Jesus (Cline, 2000).
Paul, the apostle, was born about the same time as our Lord. His circumcision-‐
name was Saul. He was a native of Tarsus, the capital of Cilicia, a Roman province in the southeast of Asia Minor. As a child Paul made tents from goats' hair, a trade that was one of the commonest in Tarsus. When he was about thirteen years of age his family sent him to the great Jewish school of sacred learning at Jerusalem to study law. The newfound faith of Jesus made deny Judaism and follow Christianity. 13For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. 14And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. 15But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, 16was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone; 17nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus. Paul spent his adult years traveling talking about Jesus. After years and years of spreading God’s message, Paul went against the warnings of others insisted on going to Jerusalem where he was captured and put in prison. Paul spent a little more than two years in prison without a trial. He was finally granted a hearing before the Emperor of Rome. At this hearing Paul was finally released but soon arrested again. Paul left the
Purnell 9 world with immense faith in Jesus Christ. (Easton, 1997) (Miles, 2002).
Compare and Contrast
I compared the Four Apostles to the Altarpiece of the Church Father by
Michael Pacher. The Altarpiece of the Church Father appealed to my eye due to the fact that Pacher featured four important men in religion. They were the four great Doctors of the Western Church. Their names were Ambrose, Augustine, Jerome, and Pope Gregory I. The four panels were completed in 1483.Both paintings feature important people in their religions. Pacher’s piece is more detailed than Durer’s. In the Altarpiece of the Church Father each person has their own panel as opposed to the Four Apostles which two men share a panel. Even though the paintings were 43 years apart, both pay fine attention to detail. Each man has an object that helps identify which person is which. The very left is Saint Jerome. Second from the left is Augustine. Second from the right is Saint Gregory. Finally on the right is Ambrose. Each panel has a dove above the head as a symbol of the Holy Spirit. Both of the artists were from around the Germany area. The wrinkles in both
Purnell 10 paintings are very carefully designed. The colors used in both are wonderful and add character to the paintings.
Conclusion There is without a doubt no reason anyone in the past or present can contest the statement that Albrecht Durer was one of the best artists of all time. He was being compared to some of the greats such as Da Vinci and Michelangelo. “Albrecht was the first artist to have a public statue made and erected in their honor. Also to have his house and tomb restored in the name of historic preservation. He was the first to leave a serious of self-‐portraits, as well as substantial autobiographical writing. Albrecht was also one of the first to publish on the physical sciences in the German language” (Hutchison pg. xiii). He was very talented in the fact that he could mix up different styles and make miraculous work. The craftsmanship of his woodcuts was one of a kind. His versatility between prints and paintings were always setting examples of what artists should be doing. No one in his time period could match his work.
The main point to take away from Albrecht’s life is to experience as
much as you can no matter your age and commitments. Life is too short, and traveling to different destinations will shape your outlook on life. Take risks and you may find out one day you started the next big trend. Albrecht took what he saw from his travels and came up with his own style. Originality is very important in the art community, and Albrecht had just that. Albrecht Durer’s work will continue to be studied for year and years to come.
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Works Cited Apostle Mark. (1990, December 2). Retrieved November 20, 2010, from OrthodoxWiki.com: http://orthodoxwiki.org/Apostle_Mark
Bartrum, G. (2002). Albrecht Durer; and his Legacy. London: The Trustees of the British Museum. Brion, M. (1960). Durer; His Life and Work. New York, NY: Tudor . Cline, A. (2000, February 6). John the Apostle: Profile & Biography of John the Apostle. Retrieved 18 2010, November, from About.com: http://atheism.about.com/od/biblepeoplenewtestament/p/JohnApostle.htm Easton, M. G. (1997, April 14). Bible Encyclopedia. Retrieved November 18, 2010, from Christiananswers.net: http://www.christiananswers.net/dictionary/paul.html Hutchison, J.C. (1990). Albrecht Durer; a Biography. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Miles, T. (2002, May 29). Biography on the Apostle Paul. Retrieved November 22, 2010, from Essortment: http://www.essortment.com/all/apostlepaulbi_rbwm.htm Synder, J. (1985). Northern Renaissance Art. Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-‐Hall.
Purnell 12 Wilson, D. R. (1995, July 26). The Call of Peter, James, and John. Retrieved Novemeber 12, 2010, from JesusWalk.com: http://www.jesuswalk.com/lessons/5_1-‐ 11.htm