DÜRER, Albrecht
(b. 1471, Nürnberg, d. 1528, Nürnberg)

Crucifixion

1508
Engraving, 133 x 98 mm
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Dürer mentions in the diary of his trip to the Netherlands that he gave the factor of Portugal an impression of this engraving at Antwerp on August 20, 1520. St John, on the right, is clearly reminiscent of the corresponding figure in Mantegna's engraved Deposition." This engraving was conceived as a single sheet, as evidenced by the format, slightly larger than that of the Engraved Passion. The figures are, in this case, not placed in front of a black backdrop, as in Adam and Eve, but actually set into the darkened surroundings. This print ca be called a nocturne, the most striking feature of which is the expressive figure of St John, reminiscent of Matthias Grünewald. The women, strictly placed into a triangle, counterbalance St John's figure.