The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Death, Famine, Pestilence and War 1498

Albrecht Durer made this woodcut of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Durer was a master of this technique, which involves painstakingly carving an image into a block of wood, inking the surface, and then pressing it onto paper. This process allows for the creation of multiple identical images. Woodcut was an essential technology in the 16th century, permitting the relatively quick production of imagery. Consider the sheer labor involved in this print. The density of lines, and the detail that Durer achieved. The result is a dynamic composition of the riders and their steeds, trampling helpless figures underfoot. The visceral quality of the print is intensified by the stark contrast between light and shadow, achieved through the precise carving of the woodblock. You could say, Durer was an early media mogul. He understood the power of dissemination and the relationship between mechanical reproduction and social impact.