Artist: Albrecht Dürer (German, Nuremberg 1471–1528 Nuremberg)

Title: The Rhinoceros

Date: 1515
Medium: Woodcut
Dimensions: image: 8 3/8 x 11 5/8 in. (21.3 x 29.5 cm) trimmed to block line except at top
sheet: 9 3/8 x 11 3/4 in. (23.8 x 29.9 cm)

1.​ Watch the attached video and write down a series of key words you hear in the table
below whilst watching. This will become a class wordbank. Write each word in a
separate box.

1/2 The Durer Rhinoceros - Masterpieces of the British Museum

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsQCo04O97w

The British Early Rome - Egypt - Artefacts The Electrified

Museum civilisations Liam Liam (ﾉヮ)ﾉ*:･ﾟ Rhinocero
-liam -Liam ✧ s - Liam

Print room Antiquity Multiplicity Posterity- One of Moravian Ancient

- Caitlin Veronica the early Greece,
mass Rome and
produced Egypt
images - -Aakriti
Liam

Tonal Imaginative Memorabl Portuguese Unusual - King Renaissan

complexity/ features/inve e - Caitlin governor of Sithmi Manuel - ce - sithmi
detail ntion India - Liam Liam
-Sophia -Sophia
Northern A Albrecht Observatio Sensation Indian Ominous
Renaissan quintessenti Dürer - n - Caitlin al Rhinocero and
ce - Liam ally curious Liam experienc s freakish-
person - e- Sherry - Billy Sherry
Adam

Lumbering, Neugier Sullen, Obsession Neugier- Endless mass-prod

clumsy, (Curiosity in irritable, with the lust for source of uced
Asian German) - bellecose natural the new- pleasure - - Billy
Animal Caitlin nature world and Sherry Jude
-Aakriti -Aakriti its diversity
- Liam

Fantasy Ominous Freakish 16th Posterity - Proliferate Latch

-Aakriti century - Liam
Liam

Bizarre Discovery ‘Nokia’ - Curiosity - Gift to “Fabulous Quintessen

beast and Liam Liam king beast”- tially
- Billy exploration- (german -elizabeth Sienna
Sienna word)

Precarious Religious Novelty - First artist Printing Iconic in Public

- Caitlin and Liam to buy press - uniquity- appetite
passionate printing Sithmi Sienna
-Sienna press-
annabelle

Mirror Unusual Commerci prestigious- Woodbloc Melancholi Tabloid

image (of worthy of al annabelle k printing- a
the design interest and -elizabeth Sherry
on the study
woodblock -Aakriti
) - Caitlin

Took ten Semi-literate Affordable Fascination Exotic Utilizing apocalypse

days to society- art towards the
finish- Sherry -Sophia appearance
annabelle of
things-anna
belle

Paid Profitable- Prestigious Sideline Independ Luxury- affordable-

handsomel annabelle and -elizabeth ence Sienna annabelle
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thousands) in his
- century-
Sithmip Sienna

Capitalise Precarious Financial Monopoly Inner Money Print not

security satisfactio -elizabeth painting
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captivity- effort e - Caitlin ated who
annabelle -elizabeth -Sienna bought
printing
press
-Sophia

Craft Unusual Detail- Unsung Finesse Sultan Goal to

technique - beast Sithmi heroes -Aakriti make
sithmi -Sophia cheap art
-Sophia

Fantasy- Wood cut Collaborati Notary Belligerent Wrote his

annabelle and print is ve Originality- - Sienna signature
cheap like a annabelle on all
sausage works-
-elizabeth Clare

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German prints he’ll earn rhinoceros- frightening value-
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- Billy

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animals ly powerful ve process press irritable representa and life
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precarious Sherry
existence -
Adam

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artist “landscap
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body-
Clare

Acquisition Discredited Exert Hampered Vivacity

Drew 10 days to Subtle and Distinctive Black and

directly complete artistic armour white -
onto the -elizabeth shades of plating Liam
wood- nuance - design -
annabelle Adam Adam
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well over a e and ed e ated e drawn
thousand creative -Sophia
drawings control
to posterity - Billy
- Billy

Creations Fine Indian European/r European Fantasy Subtle,

from drawings rhinoceros enaissance history elizabeth artistic
ancient -elizabeth Simple art -elizabeth -elizabeth
civilisation shapes- -elizabeth
s- complex
elizabeth design-
elizabeth

2.​ Outline Albrecht Durers’ artmaking practice. (How did he make The Rhinoceros? What
was he influenced by? What materials, methods, techniques or styles did he use? What
expressive form did he use?

●​ Given that he had no first hand experience of the Rhinoceros, Albrecht Durers
based his drawing of the descriptions and rough sketches of others. - Liam

Dimensions: 21.3 x 29.5 cm - Liam

He used

●​ Albretch Durer created over a thousand sketches in his book, he drew directly
onto wood using knives and tools as well. He transferred his drawings onto the
blocks of wood sometimes as well. - Sienna
●​ Albretch Durer also utilised a print using ink, to produce drawings of the
rhinoceros, flooding the market with the imagery of the animal- Sienna
●​ Albretch Durer would first draw his rhinoceros on a wooden black which would
then be carved by skilled craftsmen. -Veronica
●​ He was influenced by anatomical aspects of animals,detail and perspective
-elizabeth
●​ He was influenced by the rumour of a rhinoceros gifted to a king and based his
drawing on that even though he didn’t see the rhinoceros -elizabeth
●​ Used his imagination, most prominent feature of it being the rhinoceros’ armour
plating
●​ Overlap cross hatching shading?
 ●​ Duer was always fascinated by the appearance and physical features of things.
He would copy the original precisely and follow the image like a map. Even
though he was unable to know and see exactly what a rhinoceros looked like, he
drew the rhinoceros based on his imagination. - Annabelle
●​
●​
●​ drawn onto a fruitwood block using knives by many skilled craftsmen.
●​ mine
●​ d
●​
●​ He was inspired by other animals- especially dogs, cats, and horses. - Caitlin

●​ Inspired by a rhinoceros brought from India, Durer made “The Rhinoceros” by

sketching it from imagination and the rough information he received on the
animal’s appearance. He then used the printing press to mass-produce the
artwork as a print. - Billy

3.​ What was important about Albrecht Durer being able to reprint/reproduce the artwork?
●​ Being able to reprint and reproduce the work allowed Albrecht Durer to flood the
market with the rhinoceros, allowing his prints to have more revenue as the
prints’ popularity grew in traction. - Sienna
●​ Having qualities to make many copies of the art allowed many people to fulfil
their desire to feel the sense of luxury the painting provides. Royals,
nobles,farmers, tailors, anybody could afford the artwork ending up with more
profit and exposure.-annabelle
●​ The ability to reproduce artworks rapidly gave Durer financial stability and a
steady income over the year.
●​ The printing process was repetitive so making profit was not difficult.
●​ He was able to profit because it was easy to make copies quickly when it was in
demand - Elizabeth
●​ Being able to reprint/reproduce the artwork allowed Durer to spread the new
information of the unusual animal at the time and earn lots of money from the
rhinoceros’ novelty. - Billy
●​ It allowed the rhinoceros to become a collaborative project where the wood block
cutting involved other people. - Caitlin
●​ The artwork.
●​ The Rhino woodcut artwork is in many private collections and museums.
●​ It made his artwork famous and boosted his success rate and money he earned-
Clare.
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