| (1471–1528). The son of a goldsmith, Albrecht Dürer became known as the “prince of German artists.” He was the first to fuse the richness of the Italian Renaissance to the harsher northern European arts of painting, drawing, and engraving.
Albrecht
Dürer was born in Nuremberg, Germany, on May 21, 1471. Before being
taken into his father's shop to learn goldsmithing, he was sent to
school to learn reading and writing. His talent for drawing, however,
led his father to arrange an apprenticeship for him at 15 with a
Nuremberg painter. After completing this apprenticeship, in 1490 Dürer
took the traditional young artist's trip to the art centers of Germany.
In 1494, about the time of his marriage to Agnes Trey, he visited
Venice. From that period on, the Italian influence was evident in his
work.
Back in his home city, Dürer worked at both painting
and wood engraving. Paintings were costly, and they could be enjoyed
only by the purchaser and his immediate circle. By using the new craft
of printing, many copies of an engraving could be made. The
reproductions were used largely to educate people in religious and
classical history.
In 1505 Dürer made another visit to Venice; he
remained there until 1507. After his return he seems to have renounced
painting as an important work and instead devoted most of his time to
engraving on wood and copper. In 1513 and 1514 he completed his three
best-known copper engravings: Knight, Death and Devil, St. Jerome in His Study, and Melancholia I.
Dürer also delved into the mathematics of proportion
and perspective and during his lifetime published two works on these
subjects. He was a friend of Martin Luther and several other leaders of the Reformation. He died in Nuremberg on April 6, 1528. |
