Great Bend Attorney Robert Feldt recently donated an original 16th Century woodcut print by the celebrated Renaissance artist Albrecht Durer to the Shafer Art Gallery at Barton Community College. The print, which was made in 1511, will become  part of the gallery’s permanent collection.

It depicts an apocalyptic scene from a chapter in the last book of the Bible, the Revelation of St. John the Divine. Durer was a visionary engraver, painter and designer. One of the foremost artists of his times, he is credited with bringing the innovations of the Italian renaissance to northern Europe. He is one of the most revered artist printmakers of all time.

“This print is amazing,” said Shafer Gallery Director Dave Barnes. “It is a historically significant work of art that any museum in the world would desire. It is a great classroom resource. Pictures in a textbook can never approximate the experience of looking closely at an actual work of art. We appreciate Robert as a supporter of the arts in Barton County and especially as a friend of the Shafer Gallery.”

Robert Feldt received the Durer print from his father, who brought it to the U.S. as an immigrant fleeing Nazi Germany. Feldt is a former trustee of Barton Community College, the chairman of the Barton County Arts Council, the primary organizer of the Great Bend Jazz Festival and a member of the Prairie Winds Community Orchestra.

For those interested in finding out more about the print, there will be a special Brown Bag Art Talk at the Shafer Gallery at noon on February 21. Barnes will present a talk entitled “Durer’s Apocalypse and the Northern Renaissance Tradition.”