Albrecht Dürer, who was a contemporary of the great
painter Raphael, was especially interested in proportion and the representation
of the human figure in his paintings. He was also a highly religious man who
had a great love for God and His creation, which can be seen through his art.
He quite accurately depicts the glory of God and His saints in a proportional
and beautiful way.
In Adoration of
the Trinity, the Trinity, the Object of adoration, is at the center with
the angels above, the Church Triumphant on either side, and the Church Militant
hovering above the ground on a cloud. The Church Triumphant is composed of both
Old and New Testament Saints; the separation of the men and women bespeaks how
each praises God differently in that they reflect God’s perfection in different
ways. The Church Militant are held above the earth as, according to God, they
are not of this world; they are the elect of God, yet still suffering and
journeying on earth. God the Father sits on a rainbow, the Mercy Seat, from
which He has shown His mercy to all His elect and they in turn adore Him as His
saints. The splendor of God and His saints is manifest in Dürer’s Adoration of the Trinity.
