Albrecht Dürer
A highly talented German painter and engraver whose work spanned the 15th/16th centuries
Albrecht Dürer was one of a small group of highly talented German artists who were born in the late 15th century. Dürer was particularly noted for his use of graphic art that allowed his work to become widely distributed throughout Europe in the form of prints.
Albrecht Dürer
He was born in Nuremberg, Bavaria, in 1471, which is where he opened a workshop in 1494. Nuremberg was the centre of Dürer’s activity throughout his life.
He made two visits to Italy, the first at the end of his apprenticeship and the second some ten years later. He spent his time in Northern Italy, particularly Venice, where he became influenced by the work of Giovanni Bellini.
Apart from his Italian visits and a long journey to the Netherlands, he spent the whole of his life not far from his home base.
Dürer’s work combined German tradition and Italian influences, the proportion of each varying throughout his life. From Italy he learned to appreciate correct three-dimensional perspective and, above all, a feeling for the weight and bulk of the human figure.
However, after his second visit to Italy, Italian impressions threatened to swamp Dürer’s…