The Cannon 1518
albrechtdurer
landscape illustration sketch
ink drawing
germany
pen drawing
pen sketch
personal sketchbook
ink drawing experimentation
pen-ink sketch
pen work
sketchbook drawing
sketchbook art
"The Cannon" is a 1518 engraving by the German Renaissance master Albrecht Dürer. The artwork depicts a large cannon in the foreground, resting on a wooden carriage with its wheels resting on the ground, next to a group of figures, and a view of a countryside village in the background. The cannon is a large, imposing piece of artillery that is carefully rendered by Dürer. The foreground is rendered with high levels of detail, showing the craftsmanship and workings of the cannon, while the background appears more blurred, with a focus on the village, and the figures in the foreground. The scene shows the importance of military technology in the time of Dürer. The print's high detail and sharp lines are characteristic of Dürer's mastery of engraving and his ability to capture the essence of both the technical and the human aspect of this subject.
Comments
The toolbox on this cannon bears the arms of Nuremberg, Albrecht Dürer's birthplace and home to several of Emperor Maximilian's arms foundries. What's more, the Turk at right is believed to bear the face of Dürer himself. The artist made just six etchings on iron, probably abandoning the medium because he was dissatisfied with the coarse, crumbly lines that resulted. Although he preferred the more controlled vocabulary of engraving, Dürer exploited the freedom of the etching needle in the muscular tree and distant landscape, creating naturalistic effects that would have a lasting impact on the artists of the Danube School, who made prints focused solely on nature.
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