Apocalypse with Pictures by Albrecht Dürer

Albrecht Dürer was the most famous Renaissance artist in Germany. His paintings, drawings, woodcuts, and engravings enjoyed worldwide renown. His works and writings on scientific theories are counted among the most important works of the Late Middle Ages and particularly influenced German and Dutch artists. Dürer’s Apocalypse with Pictures is one of the most beautiful and important works of the universally talented master. It is a collection of fifteen engravings that visually depict the events of the Apocalypse, the last book of the Bible.

A Time of Upheaval

The Apocalypse with Pictures is no commissioned work, but rather Dürer designed, realized, and published it on his own initiative. He conceivably dedicated himself to the theme that he and his contemporaries lived in a world characterized by eschatological expectations and full of political and religious upheavals. The interest in tales of the end of the world and of the Day of Judgment was great among the population. It was published only a few years before the Reformation. The work met with great financial success. It was sold countless times and brought Dürer a considerable lifelong income.

Sensational Woodcuts

The pictures of Dürer’s Apocalypse are considered to be true wonder works of German art. It consists of 15 miniatures in black-and-white. The artist, with his gripping illustrations, managed to create the greatest effect possible completely without color. The spooky pictures of monsters, angels, and saints shortly before the downfall of the world remain in the memory of every beholder. The depiction of the Four Riders of the Apocalypse attained especially great fame and is counted among Dürer’s greatest masterpieces. The pictures show the crossovers between medieval and Renaissance art in a perfect way. The astonishing masterpiece is found today in the Spanish National Library in Madrid.