Germanists admire Dürer’s detail at National Gallery exhibition

Germanists admire Dürer’s detail at National Gallery exhibition

26 January 2022

Frieda, Year 10

On Tuesday 18 January, six members of the German Department, three Year 10s, one Sixth Former, Head of German Mr Ceska and Language Assistant Miss O’Dell, ventured into London for the afternoon to see the National Gallery’s exhibition, Dürer's Journeys: Travels of a Renaissance Artist.

The train journey was spent playing six-truths-and-lie, in which we asked each other questions about one of Dürer’s paintings, besting Mr Ceska. After a short tube journey we arrived swiftly at the museum, pausing only when challenged by a push/pull door.

The exhibition was gorgeous, with many of Dürer’s most beautiful works laid out in stunning, softly-lit rooms. Among the most striking pieces were ‘The Madonna and Iris’, its detail, particularly of the hair, breathtaking; the engraving ‘Adam and Eve’ with such impressive intricacy, given its small size; and ‘Saint Jerome’, which we viewed alongside several sketches and earlier iterations of the skull depicted in the final piece. It was especially interesting to see the detail and vividness Dürer applied to his painted work and the precision of his sketches. Our attention was also drawn to small references in his work, either himself, or animals and motifs he had discovered on his travels.

Finally, we prepared to go home, all of us now Renaissance men and women!

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