Rhinoceros 1515

This is Albrecht Dürer's "Rhinoceros," a woodcut print created in 1515, now housed in the British Museum. The immediate visual impact is its stark, graphic quality: strong black lines delineate the form of the rhinoceros against the white of the paper, creating a striking contrast. Dürer never actually saw the rhinoceros. He based this image on a written description and a sketch. Yet, the animal is covered in plate-like armor, reflecting a European tendency to interpret the exotic through the lens of familiar, established forms, much like medieval armor. The meticulous, almost obsessive detail in the texture – the patterned skin, the folds, and the rivets in the armor – speaks to a deeper conceptual structure, engaging with questions of authenticity, representation, and the power of images to shape understanding. The rhinoceros becomes a sign, less about zoological accuracy and more about cultural interpretation and transformation.