The Sixth Day of Creation (recto) by Michael Wolgemut

The Sixth Day of Creation (recto) 1493

print, woodcut

comic strip sketch

page thumbnail

germany

comic strip

print

old engraving style

traditional media

personal sketchbook

sketchwork

woodcut

sketchbook drawing

storyboard and sketchbook work

sketchbook art

This woodcut, part of a larger series, depicts the sixth day of creation from the Book of Genesis as illustrated by Michael Wolgemut in 1493. The central image focuses on God, depicted as a man in flowing robes, creating animals on the sixth day. Surrounding God, various animals roam, such as a deer, a bear, and a bird. The circular format reflects the influence of late medieval art, while the detailed and expressive lines of the woodcut showcase the artist's skill. This print demonstrates a key example of the artistic expression of the biblical story of creation, popularized through woodcut illustrations.

Comments

minneapolisinstituteofart about 1 year ago

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Next to the Gutenberg Bible, the Nuremberg Chronicle was the publishing event of the century. It was no less than a history of the world, beginning with Creation. The Fifth Day shows the arrival of creatures, including one owl rather immune to the august moment. The Sixth Day shows God creating Adam from a mound of clay, his cape swirling like a wheel. The humanist circle involved in publishing the Nuremberg Chronicle would have known Augustine, who had written about the Apostle Paul's reference to God as a potter and to humans as clay (Romans 9).