Durers painting Melancholia I is seen by many historians as being a depiction of the intellectual situation of the artist and is thus, by extension, a spiritual self-portrait of Durer

Student Number: 40046848 – Angela Vaupel – Concepts of Europe

Albrecht Durer – Melancholia I

Durer’s painting Melancholia I is seen by many historians as being a “depiction of the intellectual situation of the artist and is thus, by extension, a spiritual self-portrait of Durer” . It is a “pristine copperplate engraving” and a “late 18th Century impression on watermark laid paper” by Albrecht Durer who lived during the Renaissance period and as such this art work was highly influenced by the renaissance style of art at that time. The main reason why I feel it was painted is stated within the picture. The shape/ boulder in the centre –left of the picture, seen by Panofsky as a “truncated rhomboid” has displayed on it a face. Once looked at for several minutes, you can pick out both a man (with his head to the right) and a woman (with her head in the air). The 2 hidden faces resemble Durer’s last portraits of his parents and the exact poses they held.

From what I see and what I have researched, the painting is full of content and significance. The first thing that strikes my attention is the facial expressions on the different characters. The child and the dog both have their eyes closed and are pointing downwards. This gives the viewer a sense of negativity or that maybe they are emotionally hurt or that their surroundings are ruthless. The angel also shows a depressed and emotionally hurt mood. She unlike the other two characters is not looking down, but instead she is looking away from the main activities within the place she is sat. Her compasses are held in a way that they are of no use and the book that is sat on her lap is closed. All this presents the viewer with the idea that this place is not pleasant and that the characters within it are sad as if they possibly want out of the situation they are in.

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Apart from the characters, the title of the painting is shown in the background. This is significant as this is the “only painting by Durer that has engraved in it the title” . Melencholiah I is the title, it is spelt today as Melancholia I. Melancholia is a “mental disorder characterised by depression, apathy and withdrawal”. It can present a person with a “loss of interest in life activities, early morning awakening with intensification and an inappropriate sense of guilt” – . Melancholia is represented in the engraving with the expression on the face of the angel. She has her hand on her chin and is directing her line of sight away from everything that is happening in the engraving. The four humors are what you need to understand before interpreting the definition Melancoliah. During the renaissance these four humors were the basis of ancient medicine. According to these, general health is held to be reliant on the balance of four major bodily fluids: blood, phlegm, black bile and yellow bile. Melanholy was associated with Black bile, the least desirable of the four and was considered the most likely to “succumb to insanity” . Renaissance thought however, was that melancholy was linked with creative genius sand so the status of this particular humor at that time began to grow.

In the background where the title is situated, the scenery is that of a heavenly look. The shine coming from what seems to be a Comet, the moonbow and the calmness of the water all add to a place you could only dream of and something that is in the distance. Because the characters are looking away from it, it is as if it is something out of reach from them and that it is a place they could only dream of getting to. This heavenly look was seen as an idea that Durer constructed the motto/title Melancholia I from the covert one Limen Caelo I which means the “Gateway to Heaven”

The hourglass which is behind the angel brings the above points together that of Melancholia and the sad mood of the characters. The hourglass presents to me, an image that shows time is running out, maybe for the character. Perhaps she is thinking in ending their life, this is significant to that of Melancholia as it refers to the “loss of interest in life activities” (See medical dictionary website). The facial expression of the angel is that of giving up and depressed.

What I also see is the “Magical Square of Jupiter” which I mentioned earlier is very significant in finding the date in which it was published. The bottom line is the most interesting as it is where it tells us the date of the picture, 15-14. From research, I have learned that the number right to it is A which is the same as 1 in the simple Masonic Code of values. The number to the left is 4 equalling D according to geometric value. These two letters state Durer’s religious background in concluding the date 1514 AD (After Death). Another mathematical equation can be deduced if one put’s together all the boxes in twos, for example 16 + 3 =163 and add them all together you get the value 2368. The significance of this number is that it equals the value of Jesus Christ in Greek. The magical square not only shows Durer’s love for maths but it also tells us that he is influenced by religion when painting. His love for maths and his knowledge for maths is clear by the tools that surround the characters, the compass, the geometrical solid, the weighing scales and the hourglass.

This engraving is one of the three large prints of 1513-14 known as Durer’s “Meistertiche” (Master Engravings) . In the foreground I can pick out a saw, some nails, a purse, a ball and beside it some sort of ankle chain used in prisons. In the middle ground I can make out the angel and the child angel. I can also see the dog, a hammer, the shape, the magic square, hourglass, scales and also a ladder. In the background the title of Melancholia I can be made out along with a shining light coming from the comet and also a moonbow. All this is above a calm lake, possibly a coastline. The engraving is portrait and the main subject of the picture in my opinion is the title Melancoliah I and its meaning.

Its original dimensions are 18.9cm x 24.1cm, which “comes very close to the ratio of 11:14 which was often used in classical compositions” . It is a black and white engraving. It is very detailed but is plain in its colouring. It was created with a “G. Raiplly – Paris stamp, number 11 in light pencil on verso” (See vialibri.net website). The engraving has been produced in dashes and very fine strokes. The most significant use of these fine strokes and lines is with the light coming off the comet and also the ripples in the water.

The mood of the engraving is shown on the faces of the characters. They are all down, sad, unhappy and feeling miserable. All these have relevance to the word depressed which is relevant to the name of the engraving, “Melancoliah”. As I stated above, the main character (the angel) is looking away from everything with an attitude of giving up. It’s as if she is fed up and that the bright light in the background (maybe indicating to heaven or a dreamy place) is something in a distance and not reachable. Black and White are two dull contrasts and produce a sense of darkness. The tools lying around also produce a terrifying scene. These tools consist of nails, hammer, saw, and a sort of ankle clamp used in prisons. It’s as if they are stuck in this place and they can’t get out or get to the place they want to be (the comet, the shining light). My impression on the artwork is that of mystery and interpretation. Durer has produced this engraving and has left it open for interpretation by whoever reviews it. By researching it I have seen that it contains many hidden meanings, and still to this very day meanings have possibly not yet been discovered.

To conclude I feel that in the creation of this piece of artwork, Durer was primarily trying to include the portraits of his parents and also trying to represent one of the four humors. These are the two main aims that I believe influenced Durer the most when he was creating this engraving. My judgement on the artwork is that he has succeeded greatly on leaving it open to interpretation and I also feel that the artwork itself is fantastic and the different shapes and figures are well drawn out and defined.

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