Discuss the prominent themes and symbolism of Albrecht Dürer’s Adam and Eve (Revel Asset: Closer Look: Dürer’s Adam and Eve).
What will be an ideal response?
Albrecht Dürer’s Adam and Eve portrays the biblical couple before the Fall. They are represented according to Classical models of proportion. Light plays across the bodies of the figures, expressing both divine and Dürer’s own inspiration. The parrot behind Adam represents language and wisdom. Its location next to Adam associates these attributes with the man, while the woman Eve is depicted next to the snake, the symbol of temptation. The cat at Eve’s feet is crouched and preparing to pounce on the mouse at Adam’s feet. This refers to death, which will enter the world after the Fall. The four animals around Eve’s feet represent the four humors of the Roman Physician Galen. The elk represents black bile (melancholy), the rabbit blood (sensuality), the ox phlegm (sluggishness), and the cat yellow bile (anger and cruelty). Medieval theologians believed these humors were in perfect balance before the Fall but became disordered after the disobedience and punishment of the first couple. A placard in Latin, which states “Albrecht Dürer of Nuremburg made this in 1504,” hangs from the tree of life—a humorous allusion to the artist’s own conception of his immortality.
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When auditioning actors, it is a good idea to have them read a scene where the character they are going to portray reaches a turning point
Indicate whether the statement is true or false
A director is attempting to reproduce the historical experience of attending an ancient Greek production of Medea (in which Medea gets revenge on her cheating husband, Jason, by killing their children), and tells his cast that their acting style will be presentational. Which of the following is an example of how the actors might carry out this style?
A. The actor playing Medea reads memoirs by mothers who have lost children. B. The actor playing Jason reproduces the facial expressions and postures of famous adulterers from photographs. C. The actors playing the children are allowed to play freely without direction to symbolize youthful innocence. D. The actors playing the chorus learn a series of codified gestures and symbols.