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Albrecht Dürer
German, 1471-1528
St. Michael Fighting the Dragon, from The Apocalypse, 1498 (1511 edition)
Woodcut

Spectacular, terrifying events and otherworldly beings are rendered with superb technical command in Albrecht Durer’s Apocalypse series. This revolutionary set of woodcuts depicting the Revelation of St. John the Divine is one of the most influential and innovative contributions to the history of printmaking. The full-page format of the woodcuts from this series was groundbreaking when first published in 1498. With the large, full-page illustrations in this series, Dürer boldly proclaimed that the imagery was of equal importance to the text. Printed in book form, this sheet is from an edition made in 1511 with Latin text on the pages opposite the illustrations.

Technically, Dürer created a stunning and trailblazing interplay of horizontal lines with contrasting diagonals in this complex composition. In St. Michael Fighting the Dragon, the passage from Revelation (12:7-9) is distilled, presenting a frenzied swarm of angels and devils battling above earth. Michael, grasping his spear, is ready to strike the evil Dragon below him.