ALBRECHT DURER

Feckless(FP): Last week Oddvark and I accompanied our friend Comrade Pinky Kurfuffle to the Albrecht Durer show at the St. Petersburg Museum of Fine Arts. It turned out to be one of the best art exhibits I have ever seen. There were over 100 engravings and woodcuts by Albrect Durer.

Oddvark(OC): That's right, most art historians believe Albrecht Durer to be the foremost German Renaissance artist.

FP: I'll go one step further than that. I think Albrecht Durer is the greatest artist that most people have never heard of.

OC: Oh, what have we here? Comrade Pinky Kurfuffle (CPK) is paying us a visit. Is she a beauty or what?

CPK: Thank you Oddvark! You're not so bad yourself, when you've bathed.

FP: So Pinky, what did you think of the Albrecht Durer exhibition?

CPK: Albrecht Durer, Albrecht Durer. You haven't even bothered to mention the tuna fish sandwiches I made for the picnic.

FP: Well most of our readers are not that interested in tuna fish sandwiches. They each probably have their own recipe. Many of them may be interested in learning about an artist they never encountered before. Did you have a favorite?

CPK: They were all very beautiful and the craftsmanship was unparalleled, but my favorite was probably Saint Jerome in his Study.

OC: Why Saint Jerome in his Study?

CPK: Because Saint Jerome is the patron saint of libraries. I just love libraries.

FP: Is that where you get all your socialist literature?

CPK: That's right darling and much, much more. Libraries are full of information, literature, art, and interesting people.

OC: Sounds like you're talking about a Barnes & Noble or a Starbucks.

CPK: Well, libraries were the Barnes & Noble's before Wall Street discovered you could make big bucks off of books.

FP: What was your favorite Durer, Oddvark?

OC: My favorite was The Rhinoceros. I'll bet that animal can pass some gas. Durer created a very lifelike woodcut of a rhino without ever actually seeing one. He just read about a ship carrying a rhino to the King of Portugal and saw some sketches done by local artists. The ship sank and he never got the opportunity to see the real animal. Which was your favorite Feckless?

FP: I liked Melancholia I and Knight, Death and the Devil. Both are allegorical engravings that are full of symbolism. Both engravings have been the subject of much interpretation through the centuries. Durer was not only a great artist and skillful craftsman, he also had a tremendous knowledge of mythology, theology, and symbolism. His subjects are very complex and can be examined for hours at a time without tedium setting in. There are usually many elements depicted in each composition and there is something to catch the eye in every corner of each engraving.

CPK: I enjoyed his Bibiblical works and the works based upon the lives of the saints.

FP: It was a wonderful experience in a wonderful art museum next to a beautiful waterfront. If every day were like our Durer outing, Oddvark and I would probably consume a lot less beer.