About this artwork
Albrecht Dürer created this woodcut titled "Beast with Two Horns Like a Lamb" with precise lines and stark contrasts that compel the viewer into its dramatic scene. The composition is vertically oriented, and structured in three tiers of celestial, mythical, and earthly realms. Dürer masterfully uses line and texture to differentiate each level. Look at how the delicate shading and light give an ethereal quality to God and his angels, while below, the beast is rendered with sharp, distinct lines, emphasizing its monstrous form. These formal elements do more than depict a biblical scene. Through his masterful technique, Dürer conveys the apocalyptic tension between divine order and earthly chaos. Note the complex interplay of light and shadow which creates a stark contrast that adds to the dramatic tension. It suggests a world on the brink, challenging the viewer to confront the unsettling narratives of the time. Through the careful arrangements of figures, Dürer invites us to consider the structures of power, belief, and the individual's place within them.
Beast with Two Horns Like a Lamb 1498
Artwork details
- Medium
- drawing, print, woodcut, engraving
- Dimensions
- 15 1/8 x 11 1/16 in. (38.42 x 28.1 cm) (image)
- Location
- Minneapolis Institute of Art
- Copyright
- Public Domain
Tags
drawing
narrative-art
figuration
woodcut
history-painting
northern-renaissance
engraving
Comments
Albecht Dürer’s Apocalypse had the most spellbinding illustrations of any book published in the 1400s. One of sixteen images, this illustrated the thirteenth chapter of The Book of Revelation: … I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns…. Then I saw a second beast, coming out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon. It… made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast…. And it performed great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to the earth in full view of the people…. The seed for this remarkable image was a small woodcut in a Bible published by his godfather, Anton Koberger, when Dürer was twelve years old.
About this artwork
Albrecht Dürer created this woodcut titled "Beast with Two Horns Like a Lamb" with precise lines and stark contrasts that compel the viewer into its dramatic scene. The composition is vertically oriented, and structured in three tiers of celestial, mythical, and earthly realms. Dürer masterfully uses line and texture to differentiate each level. Look at how the delicate shading and light give an ethereal quality to God and his angels, while below, the beast is rendered with sharp, distinct lines, emphasizing its monstrous form. These formal elements do more than depict a biblical scene. Through his masterful technique, Dürer conveys the apocalyptic tension between divine order and earthly chaos. Note the complex interplay of light and shadow which creates a stark contrast that adds to the dramatic tension. It suggests a world on the brink, challenging the viewer to confront the unsettling narratives of the time. Through the careful arrangements of figures, Dürer invites us to consider the structures of power, belief, and the individual's place within them.
Comments
Albecht Dürer’s Apocalypse had the most spellbinding illustrations of any book published in the 1400s. One of sixteen images, this illustrated the thirteenth chapter of The Book of Revelation: … I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns…. Then I saw a second beast, coming out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon. It… made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast…. And it performed great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to the earth in full view of the people…. The seed for this remarkable image was a small woodcut in a Bible published by his godfather, Anton Koberger, when Dürer was twelve years old.