I’m up to page 134 in 1001 Paintings You Must See Before You Die, and I’ve finally found one I wouldn’t mind hanging in my house. It was painted by Albrecht Durer in 1502 using watercolors on paper. Durer was born in Nuremburg, Austria. He is widely considered the best printmaker in history. His AD monogram can be seen at the bottom of the painting.
There isn’t much to say about the painting itself. It’s an amazingly realistic and detailed drawing of a rabbit. Durer drew it so that you can see the touch of light on individual hairs (and hares).
What are the top three reasons you’d hang this in your home?
I didn’t say that I’d choose it to hang in my home, but if it were hanging in my home, I wouldn’t mind.
As for the reasons:
1. It surprised me. I didn’t know anybody was painting this realistically 5oo years ago.
2. It’s a pleasant animal portrait and not a grotesque misinterpretation of some “biblical” theme showing how superior Mary was to baby Jesus or somesuch. Almost all the paintings in the book up to this time have been of that sort.
3. I can look at this painting and imagine the rabbit suddenly jumping off the canvas — it looks that alive.