Page 291 - Art In The Age Of Exploration (Great Section on Chinese Art Ming Dynasty)

ther through the use of mathematical projections
and a section on grotesque physiognomies, while
in the final book Diirer attempts to analyze
human movement by means of geometrical
constructions.
The figure reproduced here, from the second
book, follows Vitruvius' dictum that a circle
whose center is the navel will touch the tips of the
outstretched fingers and the toes, although Diirer
in this case does not show his figure with feet
extended as did Leonardo in his Vitruvian propor-
tion study (cat. 175). J.A.L.

*95
Albrecht Diirer
Nuremberg, 1471-1528
ADAM AND EVE
1504
engraving
7
5
24.9 x 19.3 ($ /8X y / 8)
references: Panofsky 1948, 1:84-85, 204; Rupprich
1956-1969, 1:102; Washington 1971,131-132, no. 30;
2
National Gallery of Art 1973, 34 /' Strauss
1974, 2:760; Kef/19^5, 54-61
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of
194 R. Horace Gallatin
Albrecht Diirer a geometrical schema to determine not only their Diirer's woodcut series of the Apocalypse of 1498
Nuremberg, 1471-1528 proportions but also their poses and even, in some established him as a great narrative artist, and it is
cases, the contours delineating their forms. On at first glance surprising to find so little drama in
STUDY IN HUMAN PROPORTION his second trip to Italy, however, he encountered his conception of the Fall of Man. The explanation
the proportion studies of Leonardo da Vinci, prob- is that this engraving was inspired principally by
from Hierin sind begriffen vier biicher von ably in the form of copies. As a consequence his his theoretical studies in the field of human pro-
menschlicher Proportion, Nuremberg, 1528 own approach underwent a fundamental change of
(fols. K6v—Kjr) direction. He lost interest in the somewhat naive portions. He intended the print to introduce his
woodcut notion of finding mathematical constructions to German public to the perfectly constructed, clas-
3
5
22 X 16.2 (8 /8 X 6 /8) sical forms of man and woman.
references: Panofsky 1948, 1:263-270; Washington describe human beauty and sought instead, by Diirer later wrote that his lifelong interest in
, 355, no. 217 actually taking the measurements of individuals, the study of human proportions began when he
to determine the objective proportions of the ideal met the Venetian painter and printmaker Jacopo
New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden human figure. Moreover, he became convinced de' Barbari, the author of the woodcut View of
Foundations, Rare Books and Manuscripts that no single canon of beauty could do justice to Venice (cat. 151), "... a charming painter. He
the wealth of human types, and so he began to showed me a man and a woman which he had
Although Diirer's interest in theoretical subjects assemble alternate sets of proportions and to made according to measure, so that I would now
began fairly early in his career, his completed devise mathematical procedures for varying these, rather see what he meant than behold a new king-
books did not appear until near the end of his life. in turn, even further. In these later studies, fol- dom/' Barbari would not reveal his working
His treatise on geometry and perspective, Under- lowing Italian practice, Diirer began to show his method to the young Diirer, who consequently
weysung der Messung mit dem Zirckel und Richt- figures rigidly erect and in two or three different "set to work on [his] own and read Vitruvius, who
scheyt ("A Course in the Art of Measurement views. These new studies were intended solely writes a bit about the human figure" (Rupprich
with Compass and Ruler") was published in 1525, as illustrations, in the scientific sense, of his 1956-1969, i, 102). This meeting must have
followed in 1527 by his work on fortifications, research; as he admitted himself, they were taken place either in Venice in 1494-1495 or
Etliche underricht zu befestigung der Stett, of no direct practical use to the artist. in Nuremberg in 1500, when Barbari accepted
Schlosz undflecken. The treatise exhibited here, In the first book of this treatise Diirer illus- an appointment to the court of Emperor
Hierin sind begriffen vier biicher von trates the five different types of figures and pro- Maximilian i.
menschlicher Proportion, the "Four Books of vides detailed measurements of male and female For his early series of constructed nudes, Diirer
Human Proportion," was published posthumously heads, the hand and foot, and a baby. In the utilized a system of proportions that is based at
in 1528, edited by his friend Willibald Pirckheimer. second book he adds an additional eight types, least in part upon the canon described by Vitru-
The study of human proportions occupied indexing them according to the system of mea- vius in his first-century B.C. treatise on archi-
Diirer for nearly thirty years. Around 1500, he surement developed by Leon Battista Alberti in tecture (see cat. 175), while the method of
was primarily interested in creating figures that his treatise on sculpture. The third book contains construction is uniquely Diirer's own. The mea-
could be used directly in works of art. He devised methods for varying these basic figures even fur- surements of the head, face, chest, hips, and legs

290 CIRCA 1492