The Sudarium Held by One Angel by Albrecht Durer

The Sudarium Held by One Angel 1516

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drawing, print, ink, engraving

drawing

ink drawing

print

figuration

ink

line

history-painting

northern-renaissance

engraving

Dimensions: 7 1/4 x 5 3/16 in. (18.42 x 13.18 cm) (plate)

Albrecht Durer created this engraving, "The Sudarium Held by One Angel", using black ink on paper. The composition immediately draws the eye upward, following the angel's gaze and the vertical lines of the cloth towards the heavens. This dynamic movement is counterbalanced by the horizontal clouds and the grouping of angels below, creating a structured yet ethereal space. Durer masterfully uses line and texture to convey volume and emotion. Notice the intricate details of the angel's wings and the flowing drapery, achieved through dense cross-hatching. This technique not only defines form but also adds a tactile quality to the image. The contrast between light and shadow enhances the dramatic tension, inviting contemplation on themes of faith and transcendence. The engraving serves as a powerful example of how Durer used formal elements to explore deeper philosophical and spiritual meanings. It is a reminder that art can destabilize fixed meanings.

Comments

minneapolisinstituteofart over 1 year ago

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This unusual print, done while Albrecht Dürer was experimenting with the looseness of the etched line, captures the trembling, visionary state people aspired to reach through prayer. Christ's face is barely discernible on the wafting Sudarium, which in legend was imprinted when Veronica wiped Christ's brow. (She can be seen in Dürer's two Christ Carrying the Cross prints, also in this exhibition.) By the twelfth century the Sudarium was in St. Peter's in Rome, part of a stream of relics arriving in Western Europe from the East. The relics were concrete proof of Christ's redemptive act, and had an important role in inflaming Passion devotion.