Albrecht Durer (1471-1528), Christ at Emmaus (The Small Passion), c.1510, etching, 5 x 4 inches. Brigham Young University Museum of Art, purchase/gift of Mahonri M. Young Estate, 1959.
Albrecht Durer was a famous printmaker even in his early career. His style is influenced by the detailed work of contemporary Northern European artists, as well as the understanding of anatomy garnered from his time studying in Italy. A lifelong Christian, many of his works feature Christ, Biblical figures, saints, and more. Christ at Emmaus (The Small Passion) addresses the story told in Luke 24: 13-32, in which Christ travelled to and dined in Emmaus with two of his disciples; the disciples only realized with whom they had spent the day when Christ disappeared. They then asked themselves, “Did not our heart burn within us?” In Durer’s depiction, disciples gather around the warm glow of the Savior’s light while he teaches them from the scriptures. This print is on view at the Museum of Art Print Study Room January 26-28.