Verbond van Maximiliaan I met Hendrik VII 1515

Editor: This woodcut, "Verbond van Maximiliaan I met Hendrik VII," dating back to 1515 by Albrecht Dürer, really grabs your attention. It's teeming with figures and detail; a real statement. It's quite…intense, almost overwhelming. What are your thoughts on this print, its ambition maybe? Curator: Overwhelming is a good word. For me, it's a testament to Dürer’s genius at controlled chaos, a whirlwind of ink and ideas, pressed onto paper. He crams this image with not just armies but a statement of power. You know, a treaty in those days wasn’t just ink on parchment; it was a performance, a carefully staged piece of political theatre like a bizarre royal wedding. And what do we find theatrical these days? I mean is reality television close? Editor: So it is like, symbolic showmanship? Curator: Exactly! See how the figures overlap? Dürer is almost mocking traditional perspective. The city in the background is less about geography and more about aspiration. It says, "Look at our influence! See our wealth!". This isn't your average woodcut, is it? It’s more of a political hype poster! Editor: I didn’t think of it that way. I was focused on the individual soldiers but now I realize there's more to it. The city backdrop makes the crowd surge with forward momentum, even though this is only an announcement of "peace"! Curator: The individual disappears into the glorious whole – typical of propaganda, wouldn’t you say? You know, Dürer often did works to attract patrons. Could this be about self-promotion too? A résumé, in a way, showcasing the kind of grand-scale project he was capable of? Editor: Hmm. Maybe a little bit of both! Thinking about it as Dürer marketing himself is so intriguing! This wasn't just about the rulers but his own career too!