Dürer, Albrech, artist. “[St. Michael fighting the dragon] / AD.” Woodcuts. [1511?]. From Library of Congress, Exhibited: "Heavenly Craft" at the Grolier Club, New York City, the Library of Congress, and other venues, 2004–2005. 1 print: woodcut ; 39.5 x 28.6 cm.https://lccn.loc.gov/90707832.
This primary source would work well paired with the themes of the epic Beowulf. When contextualizing themes of good and evil and how the pagan and Christian ideas exist together in the text, this would be a good visual for students to understand how those conflicting ideas might have been interpreted when Beowulf was written. Additionally, woodcuts are not as common in today’s art world, and they present an interesting opportunity for students to analyze the use of texture and how light and dark work together in the image to create the chaotic, dangerous mood of the woodcut.
This woodcutting focuses on extremes, polarizing light versus dark and good versus evil. In it, St. Michael is depicted with his army of angels fighting the dragon over the landscape of earth.
This woodcut was created by Albrecht Dürer sometime around 1511 in Italy as part of his Apocalypse series. This image features St. Michael and the angels of heaven taking on a seven-headed dragon.
- How are both good and evil depicted in the woodcut? Why do we tend to personify good and monsterize evil in our stories?
- Observe the texture of the image and evaluate its use in creating the mood of the image. How do you feel when viewing it?
- Dürer was heavily influenced by the religious society in Italy and Germany, becoming the official court artist for the Holy Roman Emperor at one point. What influences did early Christian culture have on the stories (Beowulf) and art of the time, and how do those influences live on in Western culture today?
TEKS CH 110-ELAR
TEKS E2.4D: Create mental images to deepen understanding.
- Not only can the woodcut help students visualize themes and ideas in Beowulf, it can inspire them to create their own visuals for specific scenes in the text.
TEKS E2.5B: Write responses that demonstrate understanding of texts, including comparing texts within and across genres.
- Students can write paragraphs that apply compare-and-contrast techniques to artwork and Beowulf, or other appropriate literature/genre, about the development of mood, theme, or symbolism in the works.
TEKS E4.D: Evaluate how the historical, social, and economic context of setting(s) influences the plot, characterization, and theme.
- Students should research the history of woodcuts, and the artist in particular, and relate it to the history of publishing the Beowulf
- Use the Library of Congress’s Teacher’s Guide for Prints and Photographs to frame guiding questions for students when first evaluating the image. In particular, have students focus on the tools and process for woodcuts and how the texture creates part of the image’s story.
- Have students brainstorm an original story or a specific scene from Beowulf that they could convey through a woodcut and create their own. The Met offers background on the process of wood printing and steps students can follow to make their own original piece. In lieu of actual cutting tools, students could use raised textures and shapes to glue onto the wood and then paint and press from there.
- Compare and contrast the images in the woodcut to the text in Beowulf using a graphic organizer from ReadWriteThink.org. Then, have students draft a paragraph on a theme, symbol, or character that the two pieces have in common.
- This image has a clear Christian focus of good versus evil and does not take into consideration other religions and mythological influences from other parts of the world. Some might not be comfortable with students only looking at a Christian perspective.
Links to resources for approaching those topics
- TIME Magazine has an article about teaching civic morality in schools and the difficulties that come with navigating that line in society today.
- [Title page of Falaius Josephus, Joodsche Historien, 1665 ed.] - Students can compare and contrast the images and symbolism from the St. Michael’s woodcut to this cover of a book by a Jewish historian.
- Jason returning with the golden fleece / AA [monogram of Andrea Andreani] in Mantoua 160. - The study of monsters defeated and heroes triumphing from Greek Mythology might be a good pairing with Beowulf instead of focusing on potentially divisive Christian ideologies.
- The Met has a biography of the artist Albrecht Dürer. Students can look at other examples of his art, as well as more details on this specific woodcut.
- The Alliance for Networking Visual Culture has a handout, “Teaching Visual Analysis in the Writing and Rhetoric Classroom,” that provides justification and ideas for including and pairing visual images to improve writing and literacy for students.