Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Beetles



Recently I have been going to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science to draw beetles.  I find them quite beautiful and fascinating.  Check out some of the rare beauties!

Monday, April 2, 2012

Nurnberg - Germanic National Museum and Albrecht Durer


Our tour came to an end in Nurnberg (Nuremberg).  We visited the Germanic National Museum, the Albrecht Durer House, a medieval outdoor market and sampled the awesome and famous Bavarian gingerbread. I must say, this was the best gingerbread I have ever eaten! Yum!

Nuremberg was founded around the turn of the 11th century.  Nuremberg is often referred to as having been the 'unofficial capital' of the Holy Roman Empire, particularly because Imperial Diet (Reichstag) and courts met at Nuremberg Castle. The Diets of Nuremberg were an important part of the administrative structure of the empire. The increasing demand of the royal court and the increasing importance of the city attracted increased trade and commerce to Nuremberg. The cultural flowering of Nuremberg, in the 15th and 16th centuries, made it the centre of the German Renaissance. Between 1945 and 1946, German officials involved in the Holocaust and other war crimes were brought before an international tribunal in the Nuremberg Trials.

We toured the Albrecht Durer House which was Dürer's residence between 1509 and 1528. Of particular interest was the large painting and printing workshop from Dürer's time where artistic techniques are demonstrated.
Statue of Albrecht Durer




Albrecht Durer House

Print
Engraving Tools

Dragon Chandelier
Printing Press

The Germanic National Museum is one of Europe's largest and greatest museums.  Its incomparable stores of exceptional art and artisanship afford a panoramic overview of the cultural history of German-speaking central Europe.  It boasts of the Albrecht Durer collections and the unique Codex aureus, produced in the 10th century.
St. George Killing the Dragon



Faber-Castell

Faber-Castell Castle

Architectural Detail

Grand Staircase

Ceiling Detail

Pencil Factory

Print of Factory

Graphite



We toured the Faber-Castell home and factory.  Faber-Castell is one of the world's largest manufacturers of pens, pencils and art supplies, as well as high-end writing instruments and luxury leather goods.  Founded in 1761 at Stein near Nurnberg by cabinet maker Kaspar Faber, the enterprise remained in the Faber family for eight generations.