Hands of an Apostle 1508

Albrecht Durer made this drawing of praying hands using pen and ink on blue paper. The image shows an anonymous pair of hands clasped together in prayer and is associated with religious devotion. Durer was working in Germany during a period of religious reform. The Catholic Church was a major political and economic power, but its authority was increasingly challenged by reformers such as Martin Luther. The Protestant Reformation called for personal piety over institutional control, and a renewed focus on the Bible as the source of religious truth. This drawing reflects that shift towards personal religious experience. Its existence as a drawing also speaks to changing ideas about the role of the artist. No longer merely a craftsman, the artist was increasingly seen as a divinely touched genius. To understand it better, we can look to religious pamphlets, the history of the printing press, and artist biographies. Art history teaches us that artworks carry social meaning and religious symbolism, and it asks us to think about those meanings in their original context.