Description:
religion - Christian; family; the Virgin with child seated to left of woman reading book; angels at their feet playing instruments; group of six figures behind them watching child or talking with each other; large trees behind them and hills in background
Label Text:
This superb woodcut by the German artist Albrecht Dürer is a good example of the intimate and even casual way in which early Northern European Renaissance artists chose to represent the “Holy Kinship” or Holy Family. Dürer gathers the extended family of Christ together in an intimate grouping. Unlike a formal family portrait, none of the figures look toward the viewer. Even the little angel in the foreground, who faces us, looks to the side. Everyone seems distracted or preoccupied with mundane tasks: Saint Anne is reading a book, while the Virgin is feeding Jesus. Joseph is leaning in while other figures are in the middle of a conversation.
It seems that Dürer here is intentionally creating an informal atmosphere by placing the Holy Family in a domestic setting. If not for the angels, who identify this as a sacred scene, this picture could easily be read as a family involved in everyday household activities. At this time in history religion was moving away from the church and entering the home. Private devotion emphasized an intimate, personal relationship with Christ.
Dürer, however, is not a conventional artist who would simply copy popular iconic compositions. This portrait seems to verge on irreverence in its depiction of the Holy Family, but the artist may be seeking to place the sacred in a familiar context that the common viewer could readily recognize and identify with. HKDV
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=SC+1916.13.1 |
