The Entrance Hall of the Regensburg Synagogue 1519

Curator: What strikes me most about this engraving is the somber stillness of the figures, the two lonely figures engulfed by architectural ruin. Editor: Yes, it’s an intensely powerful scene! The work before us is Albrecht Altdorfer's "The Entrance Hall of the Regensburg Synagogue," created in 1519. But note the title inscribed at the top – it explicitly commemorates the demolition of the synagogue. It states “Porticus Synagogae Iudaicae Ratisbonen fracta. 21 die Feb. Anno 1519” Curator: Ah, now the figures feel different, less passively still, and now I sense deep emotional currents roiling just beneath the surface. Their body language communicates distress and mourning; do you think that’s what gives this print its quiet yet monumental presence? Editor: Certainly. Altdorfer, working in Regensburg, directly addresses the sociopolitical events of his time, transforming an act of destruction into a visual monument. Look how he used linear details, not just to depict realism but also to imbue the print with palpable textures of stone and grief. Curator: The destroyed archways frame the figures, their curved lines almost mocking their broken world; Altdorfer has captured what it feels like to be cast out, the pain of institutional betrayal—and what about the two figures in the print? Is that a symbolic representation? Editor: While specific identities aren't recorded, their posture suggests humility, resilience in the face of such targeted iconoclasm. The lone figure in the archway offers the book which indicates faith despite this cruel event. Consider how art shapes memory, framing events so the past is present; the engraving reminds us of cycles of violence. Curator: Art's power, then, lies not only in reflecting its time but in reaching forward, resonating through centuries to speak truth. Editor: Indeed, reflecting on Altdorfer's choice of rendering destruction ensures the memory is carried forward, implicating all future gazers.