Commemoration of Albrect Duer, and other artists
The Reverend Roger Hungerford
I come to you in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
In the early 1500s the reformation was happening in Europe which opened scripture
to the people in a variety of way. Bibles were translated into the local vernacular so the
people could hear the gospel in their own language, not just Latin. Hymnody was
sweeping across Europe so people could sing praises to God. And to share the Word
with the illiterate, which was a large part of the population, works of art, paintings,
stained glass, sculpture and engravings were created. A lot of the paintings, stained
glass and statuary decorated churches so those who could not read could see beautiful
graphic representations of the Gospel stories or the saints. But the works of art that
arguably had some of the greatest impact on the common people were engravings.
These engravings, vivid black and white images, were printed and distributed among
the people in the form of booklets. Topically a lot of them dealt with depictions of the
seven deadly sins, the warring of angels and devils occurring unseen yet all around, the
apocalypse, and visions of hell with some pictures of paradise. All of the engravings
that circulated in the 16th century were very detailed, included a lot of activity and even
political commentary. Popes and clergy who were corrupt or abusive were often
notoriously depicted in the engravings. However, the overarching purpose of the
engravings was to encourage people to avoid sinning, help them realize that there was
a battle being waged for their souls all the time, and show them what hell looks which
in turn made the beauty of Christ’s church more desirable.
This morning we honor Albrect Durer who lived from 1471 to 1528 in central Europe.
He was the son of a goldsmith and was raised to be an artist. He did a number of oil
paintings and watercolors, but Durer is arguably best known for his praying hands, a
piece that was a design sketch for a larger work. His etchings include pieces for Dante
Alighieri’s Divine Comedy and 15 engravings based on the Book of Revelation. His
etching influenced a lot of artists of the era including Heironymus Bosch. Some of his
works hanging in a gallery at the St Louis Art Gallery.
In honor of Durer and other Renaissance artists, consider how art adds to our worship
experience, and how and where you see Christ depicted in our modern world. Amen.