The Knight, Death, and the Devil is an engraving created by Albrecht Durer in the Renaissance art period. Renaissance art was largely influenced by religion and this is exactly what is shown in Durer’s engraving. Although this engraving was originally created to convey a religious message, it’s meaning can be interpreted in a non-religious way as well. Through the use of various visual elements, Durer wishes to convey the message that you must ignore negative influences on your journey through life. 

The engraving shows an armored knight riding a horse through a hellish scenery. In front of the knight is a ghoulish figure holding an hourglass. Behind the knight is a horned goat holding a spear like weapon. Above the knight, attached to a spear, is the tail of a fox. Beneath the knight is a dog that appears to be walking with him. In the distant background, a brightly colored castle can be seen. Almost every individual image shown in this piece has some kind of symbolism relating to the knight’s journey. The engraving is extremely detailed and realistic as is typical of renaissance style art. Durer created the image in this way to add to the serious message that he is attempting to convey. Creating the image in any other way would undoubtedly take away from the power of the message being conveyed. The use of shading in the image is also very obvious as nearly all of the image is colored black or dark grey. These dark colors emphasize the overall negative tone of the image. The texture of the engraving is noticeably rugged. The outlines of figures contain sharp edges and there are very few straight lines found in the image. This art style was implemented intentionally by Durer to add to the overall message that life’s journey is not straightforward and you are sure to meet opposition. 

The main focus of the engraving is obviously the knight as he is located in the middle of the picture and taking up nearly half of the space. When an observer looks at the engraving, he is meant to identify with the knight. This identification with the knight allows the reader to apply the elements of the painting to his own life. The horned goat behind the knight is meant to represent the devil but can also be interpreted as any negative influence in one’s life. The knight has his back turned to this figure and seems to be oblivious of it even being there. The knight’s location and direction in relation to the goat is very important as it shows that the knight is ignoring the figure. The creator of the image wants to convey that there will be negative influences in your journey through life but you should not get caught up in these influences. The figure located in front of the knight is symbolic of death. The rotting corpse stares at the knight and holds an hourglass in clear view. The knight however ignores the corpse and stares straightforward. The location and configuration of the knight in relation to the corpse also conveys a message. Death is located in front of the knight and is holding an hourglass to convey that death is inevitable. The knight ignores death to show that even though death is coming, you should not worry yourself about it. 

Attached to the knight’s spear is a fox tail. A fox is generally symbolic for traits such as deceit and mischief. The location of the fox tail may convey the message that these negative traits should not be tolerated by an individual. On the other hand, the dog located underneath the knight represents loyalty and trustworthiness. The dog is depicted as running with the knight on his journey. This depiction of the dog related to the knight is meant to convey the message that you should keep individuals possessing positive traits close to you on your journey through life. The last significant symbol of the engraving is the castle located in the distant background of the image. The castle is meant to represent heaven but can also be interpreted as one’s life goal. The castle is noticeably brighter than the rest of the image. The contrast between the knights current location compared to the castle in the background shows the observer that the castle is a much better place. This castle is at the end of the knight’s path and is what the knight ultimately wants to reach.  Durer wishes to show the observer that if he stays on his path he will eventually reach it and it will have been worth the arduous journey.

Even though this engraving is over 500 years old, it’s message is still relevant to this day. Through all the advancements in civilization, humanities desires and fears remain relatively the same. Everyone will face hardships, trials and tribulations in their journey through life. You must remember to stay focused on your ultimate goal and not be distracted by negative influences in order to reach this goal.
