Vlucht naar Egypte 1548

Augustin Hirschvogel created this artwork, ‘Vlucht naar Egypte,’ with etching, likely in the mid-16th century. The print presents a landscape split into registers and defined by a robust use of line, drawing the eye from the detailed foreground to the distant, panoramic background. The artwork's emotional appeal lies in this contrast between the immediate and the infinite. Consider how Hirschvogel uses the structure of the landscape to convey meaning. The dense hatching in the foreground creates a sense of depth and tactility, typical of the Danube school of landscape art. Semiotically, the formal elements of line and space serve as signs pointing beyond the literal depiction of a journey. Ultimately, the formal arrangement encourages a sense of contemplation. Hirschvogel invites us to consider not only the biblical narrative but also the broader human experience of movement, transition, and the search for refuge, thus transcending its immediate context.