The Apocalypse, also referred to as Apocalypse with Pictures, comprises of 15 woodcuts by Albrecht Dürer, with the most famous one being the Four-Horsemen-of-the-Apocalypse.

The series was published in 1498 and made Dürer very famous across Europe. They also brought him wealth and freedom from the patronage-system, allowing him to select his personal topics and dedicate more time in engraving.

The 15 woodcuts are thought to have been cut on pear wood blocks and drawn on theological advice. Dürer worked on the series from 1494 to 1495, during his first tour to Italy. The scenes in the woodcuts are based on revelations of Saint John in the Bible.

Techniques

Dürer used wood-engraving technique to come up with the Apocalypse. In this technique, all white parts in the print were cut-away from the surface of the wood. Black lines indicate the forms which were left out on the face and then inked prior to pulling the block of wood through a printing press. The wood was fragile in nature, so Dürer did not make long or very thin lines to prevent them from breaking off. He also used a technique called hatching, with which thin white spaces are curved between parallel lines.