The fear of the unknown has led to the emergence of the different interpretations of the concepts of the apocalypse. Human beings have been bedeviled with how the world will come to an end, which is captured in the Book of Revelation. Durer’s image has inspired the four words that are linked to the end of the world; conquest, war, famine, and death. Therefore, Durer’s image not only depicts the concept in the book of revelation but enables the viewer to perceive their understanding of the apocalypse.
The images feature four men on horses that demonstrates the four elements of the apocalypse. The book of revelation indicated that conquest, war, famine, and death are the primary features of the end of times. The images show the four men in action, and the first horsemen represent conquest and carry a bow. The second horseman has a sword to represent war, the scales represent famine and the pale horse represents death (Hickson, n.d.). The artist intended to demonstrate how the concept of the apocalypse will unfold in four phases, where conquest creates war. This is followed by the food shortages that result in famine and death is the final phase. The author further depicted each concept in the images where the pale horse represents death, but the other horses were accorded the appearance of strength. The idea of fast-paced motion is also captured in the pictures as the woodcut reads from left to right. In this instance, the artist's purpose was to demonstrate the urgency and the uncertainty aspect of the apocalypse.
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Undoubtedly, Durer’s woodcut of the four horsemen enthusiastically illustrates the scene in the book of revelation. In particular, it allows the viewer to have an ideal picture of what will happen. The horizontal shading shows the chaotic element of the apocalypse, which will be followed by unimaginable suffering.
References
Hickson, D. (n.d.). Dürer, the four horsemen of the apocalypse. Retrieved from https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/renaissance-reformation/northern/durer/a/drer-the-four-horsemen-of-the-apocalypse
