''Saint Michael Fighting the Dragon'' is a
woodcut
Woodcut is a relief printing technique in printmaking. An artist carves an image into the surface of a block of wood—typically with gouges—leaving the printing parts level with the surface while removing the non-printing parts. Areas that ...
of 1498 by
Albrecht Dürer
Albrecht Dürer (; ; hu, Ajtósi Adalbert; 21 May 1471 – 6 April 1528),Müller, Peter O. (1993) ''Substantiv-Derivation in Den Schriften Albrecht Dürers'', Walter de Gruyter. . sometimes spelled in English as Durer (without an umlaut) or Due ...
, part of his ''
Apocalypse
Apocalypse () is a literary genre in which a supernatural being reveals cosmic mysteries or the future to a human intermediary. The means of mediation include dreams, visions and heavenly journeys, and they typically feature symbolic imager ...
'' series, illustrating the ''
Book of Apocalypse
The Book of Revelation is the final book of the New Testament (and consequently the final book of the Christian Bible). Its title is derived from the first word of the Koine Greek text: , meaning "unveiling" or "revelation". The Book of R ...
'' or Revelation of St. John.
Subject
"And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven" (Rev. 12:7). As recounted by the Revelation of Saint John, at the end of the world, war will break out between Heaven and Hell, between good and evil. As the commander of the Army of God,
Archangel Michael leads the other angels in the fight against evil, represented in this picture by a seven-headed dragon. Each of the dragon's heads represents one of the seven deadly sins. Dürer chose to capture this fight between good and evil at the moment when Saint Michael is thrusting his spear into one of the heads. Surrounding Saint Michael are three other angels ready to attack. Beneath the fighting lies a calm and serene landscape with mountains and a small town, highlighted by a church with a tall spire, in the distance. At the bottom in the center of the page Dürer has placed his distinctive "AD" monogram that is in all of his engravings.
Characteristics
![Houghton Typ Inc 2121A - Dürer, Apocalypse, 37](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/Houghton_Typ_Inc_2121A_-_D%C3%BCrer%2C_Apocalypse%2C_37.jpg)
Albrecht Dürer considered
printmaking
Printmaking is the process of creating artworks by printing, normally on paper, but also on fabric, wood, metal, and other surfaces. "Traditional printmaking" normally covers only the process of creating prints using a hand processed techniq ...
to be one of the most important art forms, possibly even equal to the art of painting. His technical skill is well demonstrated in ''St. Michael Fighting the Dragon''. The influence of Dürer's training under
Michael Wolgemut
Michael Wolgemut (formerly spelt ''Wohlgemuth''; 143430 November 1519) was a German painter and printmaker, who ran a workshop in Nuremberg. He is best known as having taught the young Albrecht Dürer.
The importance of Wolgemut as an artist rests ...
on the quality of Dürer's works can be seen in the vast amount of detail in the print. Dürer includes details ranging from the small trees surrounding the town to details of St. Michael's face. Dürer uses
atmospheric perspective
Aerial perspective, or atmospheric perspective, refers to the effect the atmosphere has on the appearance of an object as viewed from a distance. As the distance between an object and a viewer increases, the contrast between the object and its b ...
to create the illusion of space by depicting the mountains with less detail the farther away they are supposed to be. He creates different light and dark tones through his use of lines. In respect to the poses of the figures, especially Archangel Michael, Dürer broke with the traditional pose for a hero fighting against evil that was viewed as more elegant. Instead Dürer put St. Michael in a pose which captures the magnitude of the task at hand. St. Michael's eyebrows are furrowed with concentration and his hands are on the sword, about to fiercely attack the dragon. All original woodcuts in the series were made on pear wood.
Background
Humanism
Beginning in the 14th century with the work of
Petrarch
Francesco Petrarca (; 20 July 1304 – 18/19 July 1374), commonly anglicized as Petrarch (), was a scholar and poet of early Renaissance Italy, and one of the earliest humanists.
Petrarch's rediscovery of Cicero's letters is often credited w ...
, the father of
humanism
Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry.
The meaning of the term "humani ...
, humanist ideals began to spread throughout Europe. Early humanists stressed the importance of studying the classics, Greek and Roman works, and learning the liberal arts. During the 15th century, Renaissance humanists applied humanism to their civic lives and stated that people should use their knowledge in the service of the state. They also believed that individuals had a great potential to succeed and could use that potential to improve society. In northern Europe, Christian Humanists combined humanist ideals with Christianity by emphasizing both education and scriptural knowledge. Artistically, humanists encouraged the study of the human form to accurately portray the beauty of the human body. One of the leading Christian Humanists was
Desiderius Erasmus
Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus (; ; English: Erasmus of Rotterdam or Erasmus;''Erasmus'' was his baptismal name, given after St. Erasmus of Formiae. ''Desiderius'' was an adopted additional name, which he used from 1496. The ''Roterodamus'' wa ...
, who became a friend of Albrecht Dürer when Dürer visited the Netherlands in 1520 and 1521. Well before that visit, Dürer traveled to Italy in the autumn of 1494 and talked with many Italian humanists. He also visited the workshops of numerous Italian humanist artists, including
Andrea Mantegna and
Giovanni Bellini
Giovanni Bellini (; c. 1430 – 26 November 1516) was an Italian Renaissance painter, probably the best known of the Bellini family of Venetian painters. He was raised in the household of Jacopo Bellini, formerly thought to have been his father ...
. Due to this exposure to humanism and Italian art, Dürer became fascinated with how to best capture the proportions of the human body and consequently spent much time studying the human body and anatomical proportions. This interest can not only be seen in many of his paintings, but also in a number of his engravings, including ''St. Michael Fighting the Dragon.''
Rise of Nuremberg
Another major influence on Dürer's works was the rise of
Nuremberg
Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ...
as an intellectual center and as a leader in engravings. One of the main reasons behind Nuremberg's prominence was the release of the ''
Nuremberg Chronicle
The ''Nuremberg Chronicle'' is an illustrated encyclopedia consisting of world historical accounts, as well as accounts told through biblical paraphrase. Subjects include human history in relation to the Bible, illustrated mythological creatures, ...
'' in 1493. This book contained around 650 original illustrations from
Michael Wolgemut
Michael Wolgemut (formerly spelt ''Wohlgemuth''; 143430 November 1519) was a German painter and printmaker, who ran a workshop in Nuremberg. He is best known as having taught the young Albrecht Dürer.
The importance of Wolgemut as an artist rests ...
, one of the leading engravers of the late-Gothic era, and his workshop. The ''Nuremberg Chronicle'' not only demonstrated the capabilities of the new printing press, but also paved the way for the work of Albrecht Dürer in the coming years.
Albrecht Dürer was an apprentice under Wolgemut and learned the art of engraving from one of the most well known engravers of the time. Technically, the development of better printing presses in Nuremberg allowed for Dürer to include much more detail in his work, from depicting St. Michael's hair with little curls to capturing the sails of two boats off in the distance.
[Fred Kleiner and Helen Gardner. Gardner’s Art Through the Ages.] It also allowed for his work to be more easily distributed.
See also
*
List of engravings by Albrecht Dürer
*
List of woodcuts by Albrecht Dürer
Notes
References
*Kleiner, Fred S., and Helen Gardner. Gardner's Art Through the Ages: A Global History. Boston, MA:
Thomson/Wadsworth, 2009.
*"Sixteenth Century." Sixteenth Century: A Heavenly Craft, The Woodcut in Early Printed Books. 3 October 2005. Library of Congress. 7 March 2010
.
*"St. Michael Fighting the Dragon by Albrecht Durer." BackToClassics.com Virtual Art Gallery. 2009. BackToClassicals.com. 1 March 2010 .
*"The Revelation of St John: 11. St Michael Fighting the Dragon." Web Gallery of Art. 28 February 2010. .
*Zuffi, Stefano. Dürer. London: DK, 1999. Print.
External links
Web Gallery of Art
Back to Classics Article
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Michael Fighting The Dragon
Woodcuts
1498 works
Prints based on the Bible
Prints by Albrecht Dürer
Angels in art
Dragons in art
15th-century prints
Seven deadly sins in popular culture
Catholic engraving
Michael (archangel)