File:Durer, santi giacomo e filippo.jpg

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

The Apostles Philip and James 1516 Tempera on canvas, 45 x 38 and 46 x 37 cm Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

Dürer's monogram and the date are visible in the upper part of the two canvases, which are part of a series of twelve heads of apostles which the artist planned, though never completed. The two heads are constructed with an incisive and meticulous line, a reflection of Dürer's troubled search for moral austerity. We may recall that this was a particularly delicate time in German history, shortly before the emergence of Martin Luther and the Reformation.

The two saints inspire a diffuse sense of solemn veneration, in the passionate, severe eyes, the embittered curve of the mouths, and the overabundant beards, depicted as heavy, noble masses of coiling hair.

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Author: DÜRER, Albrecht Title: The Apostles Philip and James Time-line: 1501-1550 School: German Form: painting