The Great Piece of Turf, 1503

One of my long time favourites as far as artists is concerned has been Albrecht Duerer. He was born in Nuremburg (Nuernburg) on May 21, 1471 and died on April 6, 1528. His father, a goldsmith, came from the Hungarian town of Ajtosi. The name Duerer is taken from the Hungarian town's name. Ajtos means "door" in Hungarian. When Albrecht Duerer the Elder came to Nuremburg, he used the name "Thuerer" which means "Thuermacher" or "doormaker" in German.

Amongst the many paintings Duerer (the younger) was known for, "the Great Piece of Turf" or "Das Grosse Rasenstueck" in German, was one of them. This piece was painted in watercolour and opaque in 1503 at a time when no one had painted anything as insignificant as a piece of turf complete with grasses, dandelion, pimpernel and plantain. This was entirely new in art at this time. The 41 x 31.5 cm work is to be found in the Graphische Sammlung Albertina in Vienna, Austria.

Duerer was a painter, graphic artist, mathematician and art theorist at a great time in the flowering of modern Europe. This renaisance brought an end to the dark ages and brought forth a new age of enlightenment. Something to remember! - Volker

Lost Lagoon revisited.....

Here are a few more photos taken at Lost Lagoon in Vancouver's Stanley Park recently. The first two are of mallard ducklings. Boy they are growing!

Then there are two images of wild flowers growing along the lagoon. The top one is of a yarrow in bloom (Achillea millefolium) however I am not certain of the one below but it is not a daisy though the flowers look similar. I'll post the name when I know.

The swallow in the nesting box kept looking at me as I was taking photos. I was hoping for her to come out so I could catch the bird in flight. It would only flit out when my back was turned. Below a female English Sparrow stopped long enough for me to take a photo.

There is a photo of a redwinged blackbird above and then two images of a great blue heron on the hunt for food.

In the previous post with photos taken in the rose garden, the cream-coloured rose is called 'Peaudouce" which means "soft skin" in French. I hope you have enjoyed these photos but there are more yet to come.