Study 1: Introduction to Dürer and Melancholia I

We begin with a short introduction to Dürer and his work.

• View the two short videos below to become more familiar with the artist, Albrecht Dürer.

Sometimes to understand art, one must understand the creative genius of the artist.

• Read the two articles ART & ARTISTS: the Renaissance and the Rise of the Artist and ART & ARTISTS: Renaissance art and "grazia" to better understand what being an artist meant during the Renaissance times.

DÜRER'S SYMBOLISM

Decoding Dürer

Albrecht Dürer’s inventiveness and intellect are evident in his prints; he often used visual symbols to add layers of meaning to his works.  Dürer’s contemporaries would have recognized the deeper meanings of the animals, plants, tools, and other seemingly insignificant details in his prints.
Scholars have long worked to decode complex images such as Knight, Death, and the Devil and Melencolia I by investigating the symbols that are depicted within them.  This form of investigation, known as iconography, identifies and interprets visual signs in works of art to better understand them.  The historical meaning behind Dürer’s symbols could be lost on contemporary audiences.  This page is meant to help decode some of these symbols.  It is only one way, among many, to interpret Dürer’s images.
Discover what its symbols would have meant to Dürer’s audience.

Look at Dürer's drawing more closely. Click on the image to enlarge it.

Take a closer look, inspecting the 11 objects you see outlined in red and think about what they might mean. Perhaps before you ponder what some of these objects mean, you might wonder what some of them are!

Dürer did this engraving in 1514 (which is hinted to us in one of the objects.) That was almost 500 years ago. Most of the objects are familiar to us because we still use them to this day. But some of the objects are simply baffling as to what they could be or could have been used for.

 Magic square: Orderliness of numbers, each line (horizontal, vertical, diagonal) adds up to 34. Thought to be a talisman to attract Jupiter (The god who could heal the effects of Saturn)

 1514: The year of the death of Dürer’s mother. Also the date of this print

Figure of Melancholy: “Melancholic” is one of the four humors. It was the least desirable humor because it was responsible for depression, apathy, and even insanity. The advantage of being melancholic, however, was that this humor tended to be associated with the most creative and intelligent individuals. It was believed that carpenters, mathematicians, artists, and grammarians all tended to be melancholic. 

Wreath (in hair): Made from a plant which was believed to be a cure for excessive melancholy

 Compass: Mathematician



                                                  

Putto with notebook: Grammarian

 Keys: Power

Purse: Wealth

                                                                                
Bell: Eternity

Hourglass: Transience of life

Magic square: Orderliness of numbers, each line (horizontal, vertical, diagonal) adds up to 34. Thought to be a talisman to attract Jupiter (The god who could heal the effects of Saturn)

Bat: Darkness. Boiled bats were recommended by the ancients as a remedy for melancholy

Comet: Sign of Saturn, the god affiliated with melancholy

Hammer: Carpenter

Orb: Fortune 

Dog: Truth and loyalty

ASSIGNMENT for the blog:

• Respond to the following questions:

1. Why do you think Dürer might have used these objects as symbols?
2. Would these objects have the same meaning if they stood alone as they do grouped together in this composition?

This quote is from Jansen's History of Art.

"One of the four temperaments, she holds the tool of geometry, yet is surrounded by chaos. She thinks, but cannot act, while the infant scrawling on the slate, who symbolizes Practical Knowledge, can act but not think. This is then, the melancholia of an artist. He cannot achieve perfect beauty, which is known only to God, because he cannot extend his thinking beyond the limitations of space and the physical world. "

Dialog your ideas and respond to the following questions:

What does the quote tell you about the artwork? What does it tell you about the artist?

Why are proportion and perspective so important in realistic drawings and paintings?

How does the composition or the placement of the objects in this print make it so powerful?

Why do you think it was so important to understand an artist as a creative genius rather than as a craftsman during the Renaissance?

What object captivates your attention the most? What do you suppose it symbolizes?

• Post your dialog to the blog. Think of dialog as a stream of meaning flowing among and through the group, out of which may emerge a new understanding, something creative.
• Comment on the posting of one other classmate that no one has commented on yet. (There should be only one comment per post.) Take your time to really understand what the others are saying and reflect on it. The emphasis is on learning and new insight. See what shared meaning you can uncover as you integrate multiple perspectives.
• Use sophisticated, appropriate language and vocabulary in your discussion and comments.

Submit your posts by the due date. Read the postings of at least three other classmates, but comment on only one post that has not received a response yet.

DUE DATE: Wednesday, January 20 by 10:00 p.m.