Hommage des Albrecht Dürer

The German artist Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528) was famous for his masterly techniques in both woodcut and engravings. Indeed, some historians think he may have introduced the technique to Italy when he travelled there on two occasions at the end of the fifteenth century. While people today still revel in his technical prowess, for many it is Dürer’s sheer inventiveness that is a major draw. He made meticulous studies of living animals, but as his famous rhinoceros shows, had to rely on his imagination when a real animal was out of reach. However, it is his flaming demons and grotesque monsters that grab the attention of many younger viewers, who see similarities in contemporary cartoon and even tattoo designs. Andrew McLeod has created an immaculate digital print, seamlessly aligning a complicated array of Dürer’s prints so that they merge into a single design. McLeod also draws on the earlier artist’s studies from nature, some of which hang upside down from the top of the print like surreal gargoyles on a building. Interspersed with Dürer’s images are his own painted and drawn objects, creating a witty and highly satisfying synthesis of art created five centuries apart.

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