Georg Pencz in his early twenties in 1523 went to Nuremberg to study under the painting master, Albrecht Dürer. While there, he painted a number of trompe l’oeil ceilings in the houses of patrician families. One, for which a drawing survives, shows workmen raising building materials on a hoist against an open sky to create the illusion that the room was still under construction. How cool is that?
In 1525, Georg was imprisoned with the Beham brothers – the so-called “godless painters” – for spreading disbelief in Christ, baptism and transubstantiation. The three were pardoned and then became known as the “Little Masters” because of their tiny, intricate and influential prints. The 1530 Georg Pencz print above measures only 1.5 inches tall.
Think about it. In 11 more years it will be 2023, the zenith of a “We” generation, and it will have been 500 years since young Georg went to jail. And yet his tiny little print remains.
What obscure thing of yours will remain in 500 years?
A 4th grade arithmetic paper?
An unflattering photo of you taken at the beach?
A few random entries in diary?
Or will your impact on the lives of those around you ripple from life to life across societies and centuries?
What you are doing is usually less important
than who you are being.
Just sayin’.
Indy