Durer’s “The Young Hare”
While exploring the Albertina Museum, we went to view one of the museum’s most famous treasures: The Young Hare by Albrecht Durer.
Painted in 1502, the image of the hare is astonishingly lifelike. Every strand of fur, whiskers, reflection in the eye and the subtle shadow was created with precision and observation. It is difficult to believe something so realistic, and delicate was painted more than 500 years ago.
During the Renaissance, artists were beginning to study nature with scientific curiosity and direct observation, and Durer became one of the great masters of that movement. Rather than using animals merely as symbolic decoration, he painted the hare as a living creature with personality and realism.
Rabbits seemed to appear throughout the city of Vienna because of this famous painting. Gift shops, museum displays, chocolates, sculptures and souvenirs all celebrated Durer’s hare. It became like a citywide treasure hunt noticing how often the rabbit appeared. The image has become one of the iconic symbols associated with Albertina and Vienna’s artistic culture itself.
The Albertina Museum itself is one of Europe’s great art museums, housing masterpieces by
Artists such as Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and Durer.
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