The Durers and other German eengravings and woodcuts are on display at The Colege of Staten Island as part of its "Seeing The Monumental in the Minute," a small, fascinating show of German engravings and woodcuts at the College of Staten Island this fall, added The Staten Island Advance today (October 5)"
"No surprise: The master draftsman and painter Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) produced "Praying Hands," an image practically as popular and famous as the Mona Lisa ("La Gioconda")," added The Advance.
"The 30-odd prints (mostly engravings) some by boldfaced names like Lucas Cranach the Elder) are good to see too, partly for themselves and partly for their place in time," added columnist Michael Fressola in The Advance.
"The moment — roughly the 1500s, saw the blooming of the Renaissance, newly imported from Italy in northern Europe," added the reporter.
"Not only text but imagery by artists like Durer might be included in books and disseminated widely and quickly. Explorers were sailing into the New World (not that they knew as much at first). Fresh ideas were circulating: Martin Luther launched the Reformation in 1517," according to Fressola in the article.
"It's easy to see what it all meant in his "Three Peasants in Conversation," a print no bigger than a postcard. The artist (Durer) fits three working men standing in a circle into this small format," added the reporter in The Advance. "One is using his big sword as a prop; another, who seems to be wearing spurs, is clutching a basket-full of eggs. (Did he buy them or is he selling them?)"
"The egg man has a finger hooked through his belt. He looks resolute as if he is taking a firm stance on something. The third character has a lush mustache a flowing beard and an extremely elaborate fabric turban/head wrap," added Fressola..
"Three Peasants" is miraculously delicate for something that was scratched into a metal plate. The heft and substance of the characters, their volume and proportion is drawn with unusual simplicity," added Fressola in The Advance.
Wetmore Print Collection of Connecticut College loans the key items for show
"The show, a loan from the admirably comprehensive Wetmore Print Collection of Connecticut College, offers viewers a kind of condensed black and white world view from northern Europe in the 1500s," added Fressola in the article..
According to The Advance, the church, scripture and the lives of the saints were still powerful topics. "Martin Luther, one of the titans of the age, very much looks the part in a fierce portrait by Jost Annan," added Fressola.
In other words Staten Island arts fans this is one show you will not want to miss. Check with The College of Staten Island for gallery times and hours.
