"Apocalypse" Dürer: a big book about the end of time

Apocalypse, or the revelations of John the Theologian-Samya The mysterious book of the New Testament. According to church legend, this text was written at the end of the 1st century BC. e. One of the twelve apostles of Christ, the evangelist John, who was in exile on the island of Patmos. The famous Albrecht Dürer Gravkers “Apocalypse” (Latin Apocalypsis Cum Figuris) was created in 1496-1498, in an atmosphere of eschatological expectations in the pre-government of the end of the century. The artist organically combined the artistic language of the late Gothic with the style of the Italian Renaissance. A series of 15 engravings on a tree, accompanying the text of the revelation of John the Theologian, was first published in the form of a book in 1498 in Nuremberg, in Latin and German. Thanks to this work, the 27-year-old Dürer became known throughout Europe. This is the first example of the publication fully implemented by the artist himself. In 1511, the second edition was published, for which Dürer created an additional engraving for the title sheet. The Dürer cycle caused a large number of imitations and variations, becoming one of the most famous in the history of art. Not a single artist addressing the topic of revelation after 1498 could no longer pass by these engravings. The famous Dürer engravings cycle, surprisingly, has never been reproduced in Russia in its authentic form. Dürer’s “Apocalypse” is often mistakenly represented as a cycle of engravings - although in reality it was an author’s book, absolutely pioneering in nature. This publication for the first time in Russia reproduces the Renaissance monument, accompanied by two art history articles and commentary, revealing the context and meanings laid down in the work of Dürer. The publication is dedicated to the 550th anniversary of the great master. The inclusion of the full text of the revelation of John the Theologian in Russian allows you to return to the authentic perception of Dürer's images in a close synchronous connection with the text of the Holy Scriptures.