Home, an eternal theme. Accompany us through every unforgettable day, compose our colorful life. Some people say that the company of family is like a glass of boiled water, both plain and warm. They are not noble roses, they are just the pure jasmine flowers in the midst of a kaleidoscope, and the breeze gently blows through the garden, and the whole garden will emit an intoxicating fragrance.
Today we are going to walk into such a painting full of "love and warmth".
First of all, let's get to know the protagonist of this work. He came from a large family, with 18 of his half-siblings, and he was a member of the family of 20, Germany's greatest painter, Dürer.
Portrait of Dürer
And the painting to be introduced today can be said to indirectly make Dürer one of the greatest painters. It is one of Dürer's masterpieces, The Praying Hand.
The Praying Hand
Through the picture, we can see that the whole picture has only one pair of hands. Look closely, these hands have rough skin and protruding bone joints, and it can be imagined that this should be a pair of hands that have been working hard for many years. The hands in the picture will be closed and closed, in a prayer form, as if silently praying for something. But to explore this question, we have to go back in time to the 15th century.
In a small village in fifteenth-century Germany, Dürer lived in a family of 20 whose income came entirely from the father of a metallurgist, who worked more than 12 hours a day but still struggled to support the family. Sometimes a very ordinary thing can seem like a "disaster" for the family.
Dürer's father
However, among the 18 children, there are two more disturbing to their parents, they are so fascinated by painting that they all want to study at the Nuremberg Art Academy, the two brothers are named Albert, and the younger is Dürer. You must know that at that time, art was a life that only the rich class could enjoy, not to mention the high tuition fees to study in art schools. The two brothers' idea is undoubtedly to make "the family that is not rich worse" even worse.
But neither brother wanted to give up, so they decided to go both, but the wrong peak. One person first goes to learn to draw, and the other goes to work in a nearby mine to earn tuition; when one person graduates, the person in the mine goes to the art college to study, and then the one who graduates from the school earns money. It was just perfect!
The brothers were so satisfied with the plan that they said they would do it! It was time to decide their fate, and the brothers gave the opportunity to an inconspicuous copper plate. It is also this humble copper plate that has made today's protagonist, and Dürer, as the winner, has been given the opportunity to learn to paint first.
After graduating, Dürer did not forget his original promise, he returned to his hometown, looking for his brother who had been working in the mine for four years, to realize his artistic dream. On the day he returned home, the family prepared a feast for Dürer, and at the end of the banquet, Dürer said to his brother: "Now it is your turn, brother, I will try to support you to study at the art academy and complete your dreams!" ”
Dürer's brother
As soon as the words fell, the banquet was silent, everyone's eyes fell on his brother, his tears came out of his eyes, he lowered his head, wiped his tears and said, "No, brother, it's too late, I can't go to the Nuremberg Academy of Arts." Look at my hands, the mine work ruined it, recently I had arthritis in my right hand, and now I can't even raise a glass to celebrate you, let alone pick up a paintbrush to draw? I really don't know what else I can do with these hands? ”
That night Dürer couldn't sleep, and his brother's words kept echoing in his ears. He walked out of the room, and as he passed his brother's room, he saw the faint light, and through the gap in the door Dürer saw his brother kneeling on the ground, his rough hands folded on his chest, praying reverently to God: "Lord, my hands can no longer make me realize my original artistic dreams, may you double my talent and ability to my brother!" ”
In this way, Dürer stood quietly at the door of his brother's room, looking at his brother's hands, unable to calm down for a long time... After a long time, Dürer picked up a paintbrush and recorded his brother's hands, making them an eternal classic in the history of Western art. Later, because of this story, people named the painting "Prayer Hand".
The way you fold your hands is not to pray for anything for yourself, but to hope that your brother can get better and better. Maybe all this is the arrangement of fate, but it is not difficult for us to see the love of an older brother for his younger brother. Such friendship is like a trickle of water, bringing sweet moisture to the heart; it is also like a soft ray of sunshine, so that the frozen heart melts silently; it is more like a quiet harbor, so that the fatigue of the long voyage disappears.
In the name of family, silently pay, give you all, this world is so big, glad to have your company. In fact, many times the artwork that moves us is not the work itself, but the warm story behind it. I think this is the biggest charm of art!