1504
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Dominant colour
The Life of the Virgin: Joachim and the Angel is a 1504 by Albrecht Dürer, a Renaissance work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
This black-and-white print shows a dramatic forest scene with three figures. An angel with wings stands on a tree branch, reaching toward a kneeling woman below. A man in simple clothes stands nearby, watching. The trees are thick and twisted, with birds flying overhead and a distant landscape visible through the branches. The angel’s outstretched hand suggests a moment of divine help or revelation. The scene looks like it’s from a story about faith or miracles, but the artist didn’t use color—just deep contrasts of light and shadow. Next, check out chiaroscuro to see how this technique creates such strong drama.
Albrecht Dürer spent his life in Nuremberg, a busy German city where artists traded prints like currency.
See the richer artist page
![Madonna and Child [obverse]](https://pub-3a17a9933ad74fb28aa30fa758592f23.r2.dev/artworks/d7b8ebf05d22ebe5/thumb.webp)
![Lot and His Daughters [reverse]](https://pub-3a17a9933ad74fb28aa30fa758592f23.r2.dev/artworks/b4ebf9b282faa17a/thumb.webp)
