Apostle 

Editor: Here we have Durer’s “Apostle," a pencil drawing. The tentative, almost ethereal lines give the figure a quiet sense of contemplation, wouldn’t you say? What strikes you when you look at it? Curator: Oh, it whispers, doesn't it? Like a half-remembered prayer or a melody carried on the wind. For me, it's the hands. Clasped together so tightly, almost wrung. What burden do they carry? What secret do they hold? It feels less like a portrait of an apostle and more like a glimpse into the artist's own searching soul, wouldn't you agree? I can almost see him sketching this by candlelight, wrestling with faith and doubt...Do you get a similar impression? Editor: Absolutely! I also get a sense of his artistic process...the raw energy of a sketch as he figures out how it all fits together. I also get a similar impression that he might have drawn himself. Curator: I think it could be his interpretation of St. Peter, with Durer using a mirror, as you stated. But then it could be argued the humanity is not exclusive to one Apostle or man... it embodies us all. This piece is far more than initial sketches, and invites us to ponder what it is to believe...to struggle...and to question. What stays with you? Editor: Definitely the depth of emotion captured in such simple lines. Curator: Beautiful.