Why is Durer mentioned in Die Meistersinger?

[Anonymous No.18535679]

Eva claims Walther looks like King David in the picture, Magdalene assumes she means the old King David with harp in hand and long in beard as he's portrayed on the Mastersinger's shield, but Eva replies "No! The one who threw the pebble at Goliath, the sword in belt, the sling at hand, the head is surrounded by light curls, as Master Dürer painted him!"

However Durer never painted this picture, and the mystery of why Wagner mentioned him in such a context has persisted to the present day.

[Anonymous No.18535941]

Its a classic dramatic set up in farce, teasing the secret lives of various characters. In this case, the maid thinks the David in question means her love interest, neither the king (as maybe Walter might boastfully assume) nor the David of the David and Goliath tale. Wagner, through the character of Eva, just uses a painting by Durer to clarify the confusion. This is dramatic irony working quite well in a rapid fire reversal and expose of expectation and desire. Despite never having painted such a work, Durer is just shorthand for a famous artist from the era of the opera's setting with whom the audience (and presumably the characters were they real) would be familiar, it has no bearing on the mechanics or meaning of that scene. Many of the characters in the work are based on real people, though they have little bearing on the actual lives or character of the real life inspirations.

[Anonymous No.18536656]

>>18535679
>>18535941
You think the mentioning of Durer has nothing to do with a commentary on the Old Testament, or the major themes of old and young in the work?

I don't think he would mention Durer just because these characters (which are being used in a fictional way) would have been familiar with him, among countless others.

At the least Durer is mentioned as part of the general cloud of a proud German history.

[Anonymous No.18537251]

bump.

[Anonymous No.18538061]

>>18535679
And what's the meaning of Wahn in Meistersinger?

[Anonymous No.18538727]

bump.

[Anonymous No.18538956]

>>18536656
No, I think it's a useful reference for the sake of ecnomoy. It fits with themes in the Opera (German art heritage, hence why everyone in the audience and in the world of the play could be expected to recognise the name; also the need to shoehorn in a reference--pretty on the nose--comparing Walter to David in his battle with Beckesser and co. but I don't think it has some transcendent metaphysical meaning beyond the loaded meaning any artist's name has. Maybe if references to Durer were a motif in the opera it would be worth considering more in depth but it's not. Its not a theme to mention something once in passing.