My Favorite Engravings at Seattle Art Museum

What impressed me most in Seattle Art Museum were two amazing engravings, both by the great German artist Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528).

The first was titled Ritter, Tod und Teufel (Knight, Death and Devil) (1513). This allegorical piece zoomed in on a weary-looking knight amounting a sturdy steed, accompanied by two goat-like strange creatures, one on an exhausted horse to the knight's right — Death, identifiable by the hourglass in his hand reminding the knight of the shortness of life, and the other one following behind on foot, even more hideous looking than Death — the Devil, joining in hearty taunting. Underneath the knight's horse, a hound resolutely ran along on that narrow range of a waste land, as steadfast as the master, who maintained his proud posture and stony countenance in the company of danger, could be seen either as symbol of courage, or foolhardiness.

Dürer's technical virtuosity was astounding, not only in the tense subject and well-planned composition, but particularly also in many fine details, such as the majestic muscles and shining pelt of the horse, the menacing cliffs pressing on the travelers, and the castles seen through barren branches atop the jagged ridge, all through flowing lines, endlessly varied types of fine hatching, the subtle modulations of light and shadow, and the absolute confidence in rendering of minutiae details.


Albrecht Dürer [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Ritter, Tod und Teufel (Knight, Death and Devil), 1513, Albrecht Dürer, 1471-1528

The second Dürer was Das Meerwunder (The Sea Monster, or The Sea Wonder), ca. 1498. This engraving depicted a naked maiden, lying on the back of a scaled creature with human head and fish body, being led or dragged away from shore into broad water body, though it was curiously narrow, more an estuary than an open sea. The background featured a steep hill and a castle on top, and a grander castle at the foot of the hill, just above the shore, onto which maidens clambered several naked in great haste, ostensibly fleeing from danger, the sea monster, and nearby, an old man gesticulating his alarm, next to a collapsed woman lamenting on the ground.

Despite all the drama on the distant shore, the central figures, both the sea creature and the abducted maiden, were rather curiously calm and almost nonchalant save for a few traces of sadness, resignation, and slight distress on the maiden's face, which was in turn betrayed by her body's eloquent pose in a reclined pose often associated with voluptuous and seductive Venus. This contradiction created a fascinating though somewhat sad enigma.

Comparing to the dark tone of Knight piece, this one was much brighter, almost ironically sunny, dominated by more white space due to far less hatching, and result was airy and quite suitable to the sea setting, though no necessarily the obviously disturbing story. These main figures and landscape though were no less three-dimensional, due to energetic and graceful lines, and subtle suggestions of shades and volumes, as in a very fine line drawing. 


Das Meerwunder (The Sea Monster, or The Sea Wonder), ca. 1498, Albrecht Dürer
Albrecht Dürer [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons


My Favorite Museum Collection Series
>> My Favorite Museum Collection Series 148: My Favorite Paintings at Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts at Stanford University
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List of My Favorite Artworks in the Museums I've Visited

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"Looking East" Exhibition at SF Asian Art Museum

San Francisco Asian Art Museum is exploring "How Japan Inspired Monet, Van Gogh and Other Western Artists" with its current special exhibition "Looking East". 



The exhibition was not a gimmick as one might suspect but it is also pointless to determine which pieces influenced which. I would only venture to showcase those pieces made strong impressions on me, either they are by western or Japanese artists.  Some of them are very delicate and others exciting and the rest humorous and delightful.




Still life with azaleas and apple blossoms, Charles Caryl Coleman


Kajikazawa in Kai Province, Katsushika Hokusai


Night Herons (Nachtreiher), Otto Eckmann


Silver Herons (Zilverreigers), Theodorus van Hoytema


Five Swans, Otto Eckmann


Landscape with two Breton Women, Paul Gauguin


Port of Saint-Cast, Paul Signac


Haystack (sunset), Claude Monet


Vase of flowers, Henri Matisse


The Silver Screen, Frank Weston Benson


Maternal Caress, Mary Stevenson Cassat


Postman Joseph Roulin, Vincent van Gogh


Actor Onoe Kikujiro Il as Takiyasha-hime, Utagawa Kunisada & Actor Matsumoto Yonesaburo, Utagawa Kunimasa


The artist's grandmother, Emile Bernard


Meditation, Alfred Steven


Fig leaves, Edna Boies Hopkins


Bradley: His Book, William H. Bradley


Cover of Love (Amour), Maurice Denis


Family Umbrella, Helen Hyde


Jane Avril & Caudieux-Petit Casino), Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec


Painted horse escaping from a votive plaque, Totoya Hokkei & Hunting, William Nicholson


The Jockey, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec


Illustration of the Opening Ceremony of the Union Horse Racing Club's Racetrack around Shinobazu Pond in Ueno Park, Hashimoto Chikanobu


The square at evening, Pierre Bonnard


Woman in Bed, Profile (Femme au lit, profil), Toulouse-Lautrec


Child with lamp, Bonnard, Looking East, Asian Art Museum



Street corner seen from above, Pierre Bonnard


English Woman (Engländerin), Emil Orlik


[Courtesan as the immortal] Fei Zhangfang, Okumura Masanobu & Laziness (La Paresse), Félix Edouard Vallotton


Sudden Shower over Shin-Ohashi Bridge and Atake, Utagawa Hiroshige I


Standing courtesan, Keisai Eisen



Other Related posts on Art · 文化 · Kunst:
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- Last Call - "The Girl With A Pearl Earring" in De Young Museum, San Francisco
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My Art Store at ArtSlant

ArtSlant.com, a global online network for artists and collectors, finally build an online store, for artists to sell original and prints (high-quality Giclee reproductions).

I made four pieces available for prints at this moment. However, ArtSlant has not made them available for purchase yet. Hopefully, it will come soon.


http://www.artslant.com/sf/works/show/260185


http://www.artslant.com/sf/works/show/225157


http://www.artslant.com/sf/works/show/225164


http://www.artslant.com/sf/works/show/225158

Digital Rembrandts

According to San Francisco Chronicle, "the life work of Rembrandt - all 317 known paintings, 285 etchings and more than 100 drawings - go on display next week in full-size digital reproductions that attempt to re-create the works as they emerged from the artist's studio rather than as they exist today.

"The Complete Rembrandt, Life Size exhibition opens Sunday in the former Amsterdam Stock Exchange building and runs through Sept. 7."

It must be an amazing experience to see all those reproductions together and I would love to be able to see it. After all, I was introduced to Florentine Renaissance works in such reproduction exhibits in Northeastern China.

However, one should be aware of the differences between reproductions (no matter how faithful they are) and real pieces. The experience to behold the real paintings, etchings and drawings with one's naked eyes will have a profoundly different impact than from viewing reproductions, even enhanced ones, or perhaps because of the "enhancement." Just like listening to must recordings would never be able to re-create the spiritual, emotional and even physical reactions as one listens to music in concert halls and opera houses. The effects and impacts are utterly different. I would even argue that age marks and deterioration of art works, create unique effects of their own and a sense of history. Who will ever forget the smoke and grime darkened Sistine Chapel frescoes? One might even prefer the "dirty" ones to the "restored" or "cleansed" ones.

One can only hope that once the viewers see reproductions of those works in "freshly made" conditions, they will venture further to the art museums to savor the real masterpieces.