The Praying Hands - 祈祷之手

 

The Praying Hands

The most often reproduced and widely known work of the German artist Albrecht Dürer is the gray and white brush drawing on blue-grounded paper, entitled the "Hands of the Apostle," generally known as "The Praying Hands".

Below is a wonderfully touching story about Dürer's Praying Hands that is circulated widely.

Back in the fifteenth century, in a tiny village near Nuernberg, lived a family with eighteen children. Eighteen! In order merely to keep food on the table for this mob, the father and head of the household, a goldsmith by profession, worked almost eighteen hours a day at his trade and any other paying chore he could find in the neighborhood.

Despite their seemingly hopeless condition, two of Albrecht Dürer the Elder's children had a dream. They both wanted to pursue their talent for art, but they knew full well that their father would never be financially able to send either of them to Nuernberg to study at the Academy. After many long discussions at night in their crowded bed, the two boys finally worked out a pact. They would toss a coin. The loser would go down into the nearby mines and, with his earnings, support his brother while he attended the academy. Then, when that brother who won the toss completed his studies, in four years, he would support the other brother at the academy, either with sales of his artwork or, if necessary, also by laboring in the mines.

They tossed a coin on a Sunday morning after church. Albrecht Dürer won the toss and went off to Nuernberg. Albert went down into the dangerous mines and, for the next four years, financed his brother, whose work at the academy was almost an immediate sensation. Albrecht's etchings, his woodcuts, and his oils were far better than those of most of his professors, and by the time he graduated, he was beginning to earn considerable fees for his commissioned works.

When the young artist returned to his village, the Dürer family held a festive dinner on their lawn to celebrate Albrecht's triumphant homecoming. After a long and memorable meal, punctuated with music and laughter, Albrecht rose from his honored position at the head of the table to drink a toast to his beloved brother for the years of sacrifice that had enabled Albrecht to fulfill his ambition. His closing words were, "And now, Albert, blessed brother of mine, now it is your turn. Now you can go to Nuernberg to pursue your dream, and I will take care of you."

All heads turned in eager expectation to the far end of the table where Albert sat, tears streaming down his pale face, shaking his lowered head from side to side while he sobbed and repeated, over and over, "No ...no ...no ...no."

Finally, Albert rose and wiped the tears from his cheeks. He glanced down the long table at the faces he loved, and then, holding his hands close to his right cheek, he said softly, "No, brother. I cannot go to Nuernberg. It is too late for me. Look ... look what four years in the mines have done to my hands! The bones in every finger have been smashed at least once, and lately I have been suffering from arthritis so badly in my right hand that I cannot even hold a glass to return your toast, much less make delicate lines on parchment or canvas with a pen or a brush. No, brother ... for me it is too late."

More than 450 years have passed. By now, Albrecht Dürer's hundreds of masterful portraits, pen and silver-point sketches, watercolors, charcoals, woodcuts, and copper engravings hang in every great museum in the world, but the odds are great that you, like most people, are familiar with only one of Albrecht Dürer's works. More than merely being familiar with it, you very well may have a reproduction hanging in your home or office.

One day, to pay homage to Albert for all that he had sacrificed, Albrecht Dürer painstakingly drew his brother's abused hands with palms together and thin fingers stretched skyward. He called his powerful drawing simply "Hands," but the entire world almost immediately opened their hearts to his great masterpiece and renamed his tribute of love "The Praying Hands."

The next time you see a copy of that touching creation, take a second look. Let it be your reminder, if you still need one, that no one - no one - - ever makes it alone!

祈祷之手

德国艺术大师Albcht Durr有一幅名画“祈祷之手”，这幅画的背後有一则爱与牺牲的故事。

十五世纪时，在德国的一个小村庄里，住了一个有十八个孩子的家庭。父亲是一名冶金匠为了维持一家生计，他每天工作十八个小时。

生活尽管窘迫逼人，然而这个家庭其中两个孩子却有一个同样的梦想。他们是法兰西斯和亚尔伯，两人都希望可以发展自己在艺术方面的天份。不过他们也了解到父亲无法在经济上供他们两到艺术学院读书。

 晚上，两兄弟在床上讨论一番後，得到一个结论：以掷铜板决定。胜方到艺术学院读书，败方则到矿场工作赚钱。四年後，在矿场工作的那一个再到艺术学院读书，由学成毕业那一个赚钱支持。

结果，弟弟亚尔伯胜出。亚尔伯在艺术学院表现很突出，他的作品比教授的还要好。他毕业后，并没有忘记他的承诺，立刻返回自己的村庄，寻找四年来一直在矿场工作，供他读书的哥哥法兰西斯。
他返回家乡那一天，家人为他准备了盛宴，庆祝他学成归来。

席间，亚尔伯起立答谢法兰西斯几年来对他的支持。“现在轮到你了哥哥，我会全力支持你到艺术学院攻读，实现你的梦想！”

亲友目光都转移到法兰西斯身上，只见
法兰西斯两行眼泪直流。他垂下头，边摇头边说：“ 不.....不....”

他站起来，望着心爱的弟弟亚尔伯，握着他的手说：“看看我双手─四年来在矿场工作，毁了我的手，关节动弹不得，现在我的手连举杯为你庆贺也不可能，何况是挥动画笔或雕刻刀呢？弟弟，太迟了.....不过看到你能实现你的梦想，我十分高兴。”

几天后，亚尔伯不经意的看到法兰西斯跪在地上，合起他那粗糙的手祈祷着：
“主啊！我这双手已无法让我实现成为艺术家的梦 想，愿您将我的才华与能力加倍赐於我弟弟亚尔伯。”

原本对哥哥已十分感激的亚尔伯，见到这一幕立刻决定绘下哥哥的这一双手。

时至四百五十年後的今天，亚尔伯丢勒的速写、素描、水彩画、木刻、铜刻可以在世界各地博物馆找到。不过最为人熟悉的，莫过於他的“祈祷之手”。