The Pinacoteca Nazionale in Bologna hosts an exhibition focused on Albrecht Dürer's woodcuts of the Apocalypse. The exhibition brings together fifteen prints and the frontispiece of this series, allowing a close-up view of the artist's ability to narrate the end of times through carving on wood. It is an opportunity to see how Dürer handled black and white with almost obsessive precision.
Engraving as a technical process of precision 🖼️
Dürer did not draw directly on the wood; he first created a design on paper which he then transferred to the block. There, with burins and gouges, he hollowed out the areas that were not to be inked, leaving in relief the lines that would form the image. Each print required uniform pressure and ink of controlled density so that the black was intense and the white clean. The exhibition allows us to see how the artist achieved textures and shadows through parallel and cross-hatched lines, without the need for color.
When the end of the world was printed by hand 🔥
Seeing these woodcuts today offers a curious perspective: while Dürer carved angels and apocalyptic beasts, he probably did not imagine that five centuries later his engravings would be observed under LED light in an air-conditioned room. Nor did he foresee that people would pay admission to see the end of the world framed and with an explanatory label. At least, Dürer's Apocalypse has better print quality than any WhatsApp prophecy.