Dürer

This portrait of Dürer is one of thirty-eight prints forming Corinth’s Martin Luther portfolio, which evokes the life and times of the German Reformation leader. In his art, Dürer wrestled with theological and spiritual issues that likewise preoccupied his contemporary Luther. Corinth’s portrayal is based on Dürer’s own painted self-portrait but subtly transforms the direct and self-confident gaze into a searching and haunted look. The inscription beneath the image is taken from Dürer’s diary entry regarding Luther’s imprisonment: "O God! if Luther dies, who will henceforth preach the Holy Gospel to us so clearly." Corinth’s portrayal of Dürer in the context of Lutheran reform suggests his own (and his compatriots’) groping for spiritual certainty following the upheavals of World War I.