The artist's future father came to Germany from the small Hungarian village of Eitas in 1455. He decided to settle in the progressive, business and wealthy city of Germany at that time - Nuremberg, which was part of Bavaria.

View of Nuremberg. Schedel's World Chronicle, 1493

In 1467, when he was already about 40 years old, he married the young daughter of goldsmith Hieronymus Holper. At that time, Barbara was only 15.

Portraits of his father - Albrecht Durer the Elder, 1490 and 1497.

Their brilliant son was born in Nuremberg on May 21, 1471 and was the third child in the family. In total, Barbara Dürer gave birth to 18 children during her marriage. Albrecht was lucky - he was one of those three boys who lived to adulthood. He did not have any children of his own, like his two brothers Endres and Hans.

The father of the future artist worked as a jewelry maker. His name was also Albrecht Dürer (1427–1502). The mother took care of the house, diligently attended church, gave birth a lot and was often sick. Some time after the death of her father, Barbara Durer moved to live with Albrecht the Younger. She helped in the implementation of her son's work. She died in his house on May 17, 1514 at the age of 63. Dürer spoke respectfully of his parents as great workers and pious people.

Portraits of mother - Barbara Durer (nee Holper), 1490 and 1514.

The creative and life path of Albrecht Durer

Albrecht Dürer is the largest painter and unsurpassed engraver not only in Germany, but also in all Western European art of the Renaissance in Northern Europe. He possessed a unique technique of carved copper engraving.

What was the path that led Dürer to such high recognition?

The father wanted his son to continue his business and become a jeweler. From the age of eleven, Dürer the Younger studied in his father’s workshop, but the boy was attracted to painting. As a thirteen-year-old teenager, he created his first self-portrait using a silver pencil. The technique of working with such a pencil is very difficult. The lines drawn by him cannot be corrected. Dürer was proud of this work and later wrote: “I painted myself in a mirror in 1484, when I was still a child. Albrecht Durer." Moreover, he made the inscription in a mirror image.

Self-portrait of Albrecht Durer, 1484

Dürer the Elder had to yield to the interests of his son. At the age of fifteen, the young man, under an agreement between his father and the hereditary Nuremberg artist Mikael Wolgemut, entered his workshop to study. From Wolgemut he studied both painting and wood engraving, and helped create stained glass windows and altar images. After completing his studies, Dürer went on a journey as an apprentice to get acquainted with the experience of masters from other regions, improve his skills and broaden his horizons. The trip lasted from 1490 to 1494 - during his so-called “wonderful years” of formation as a young artist. During this time he visited cities such as Strasbourg, Colmar and Basel.

He is looking for his own artistic style. Since the mid-1490s, Albrecht Dürer has designated his works with the initials "AD".

He perfected the technique of copper engraving in Colmar with the three brothers of the famous master Martin Schongauer. He himself was no longer alive. Then Dürer moved to the fourth Schongauer brother in Basel, one of the then book printing centers.

In 1493, during his student journey, Dürer the Younger created another self-portrait, this time painted in oil, and sent it to Nuremberg. He depicted himself with a thistle in his hand. According to one version, this plant symbolized fidelity to Christ, according to another, male fidelity. Perhaps with this portrait he presented himself to his future wife and made it clear that he would be a faithful husband. Some art historians believe that this portrait was a gift to the bride.

Self-portrait with a thistle, 1493. Dürer is 22 years old.

After this, Albrecht returned to Nuremberg to get married. The father arranged a marriage with the daughter of a wealthy local merchant. On July 7, 1494, the wedding of Albrecht Dürer and Agnes Frey took place.

Portrait of Durer's wife, "My Agnes", 1494

Some time after the marriage, another trip followed along a longer route. This time through the Alps to Venice and Padua. There he gets acquainted with the work of outstanding Italian artists. Makes copies of engravings by Andrea Mantegna and Antonio Pollaiuolo. Albrecht is also impressed by the fact that in Italy artists are no longer considered simple artisans, but have a higher status in society.

In 1495 Dürer set off on his return journey. Along the way, he paints landscapes in watercolors.

Returning home from Italy, he can finally afford to have his own workshop.

Over the next few years, his painting style reflected the influence of Italian painters. In 1504 he painted the canvas “The Adoration of the Magi.” This painting is today considered one of the most outstanding paintings by Albrecht Dürer of the period 1494 - 1505.

From 1505 to mid-1507 he visited Italy again. Visited Bologna, Rome and Venice.

In 1509, Albrecht Dürer purchased a large house in Nuremberg and spent almost twenty years of his life in it.

In July 1520, the artist traveled to the Netherlands, taking his wife Agnes with him. He visits the ancient centers of Dutch painting - Bruges, Brussels, Ghent. Everywhere he makes architectural sketches, as well as sketches of people and animals. Meets other artists, meets the greatest scientist Erasmus of Rotterdam. Dürer has long been famous and is received everywhere with respect and honor.

In Aachen, he witnesses the coronation of Emperor Charles V. Later he meets with him to extend the privileges previously received from the previous Emperor Maximilian I, whose orders he carried out.

Unfortunately, during his trip to the Netherlands, Dürer contracted an “amazing disease,” presumably malaria. He is tormented by attacks and one day he sends the doctor a drawing with his image, where he points with his finger at the painful place. The drawing is accompanied by an explanation.

Engravings by Albrecht Durer

Among his contemporaries, Albrecht Dürer made a name for himself primarily by creating engravings. His masterly works are distinguished by their large size, subtle and precise drawing, grasp of characters, and complex composition. Dürer perfectly mastered the technique of engraving both on wood and copper. From start to finish, the artist performs all work on creating engravings himself, incl. carvings with unprecedented detail and fine lines. At the same time, he uses tools made according to his own drawings. He makes numerous prints, circulations of which are widely distributed throughout Europe. So he became a publisher of his works. His prints were widely known, very popular and sold well. His prestige was significantly strengthened by the series of engravings “Apocalypse” published in 1498.

Dürer’s masterpieces are recognized as “Master Engravings”: in 1513 he carved a copper engraving “Knight, Death and the Devil”, and in 1514 as many as two: “St. Jerome in the Cell” and “Melancholy”.

Perhaps the most famous image of a rhinoceros is the so-called “Dürer’s Rhinoceros”, created in 1515. He himself did not see this animal, outlandish for Germany. The artist imagined his appearance from descriptions and other people’s drawings.

"Dürer's Rhinoceros", 1515

Albrecht Durer's Magic Square

In 1514, as indicated above, the master created the engraving “Melancholy” - one of his most mysterious works. The image is filled with a lot of symbolic details that still give room for interpretation.

In the upper right corner Dürer carved a square with numbers. Its peculiarity is that if you add numbers in any direction, the resulting amounts will always be equal to 34. The same figure is obtained by counting the numbers in each of the four quarters; in the middle quadrangle and when adding numbers from cells in the corners of a large square. And in the two central cells of the bottom row, the artist wrote the year of creation of the engraving - 1514.

Engraving "Melancholy" and Durer's magic square,1514

Durer's drawings and watercolors

In one of his early landscape watercolors, Dürer depicted a mill and a drawing workshop on the banks of the Pegnitz River, in which copper wire was made. Across the river are villages in the vicinity of Nuremberg, with the mountains blue in the distance.

Drawing mill on the Pegnitz River, 1498

One of the most famous drawings, “The Young Hare,” was drawn in 1502. The artist indicated the date of its creation and put his initials “AD” directly under the image of the animal.

In 1508, he painted his own hands folded in prayer using white on blue paper. This image is still most often reproduced and even translated into a sculptural version.

Hands in prayer, 1508

According to experts, more than 900 drawings by Albrecht Dürer have been preserved to this day.

Dürer, proportions and nudity

Dürer was captivated by the desire to find the ideal proportions of the human figure. He carefully examines people's naked bodies. In 1504 he created the outstanding copper engraving “Adam and Eve”. To depict Adam, the artist takes as a model the pose and proportions of the marble statue of Apollo Belvedere. This ancient statue was found at the end of the 15th century in Rome. The idealization of proportions distinguishes Dürer's work from the then accepted medieval canons. In the future, he still preferred to depict real forms in their diversity.

In 1507 he wrote a pictorial diptych on the same theme.

He became the first German artist to depict naked people. In Weimar Castle there is a portrait of Dürer, in which he depicted himself as openly as possible, completely naked.

Self-portrait of a naked Dürer, 1509

Self-portraits

Albrecht Dürer painted self-portraits from his boyhood until old age. Each of them has its own zest, and often innovation. The self-portrait, which shocked the contemporary artist's audience, was painted in 1500. In it, 28-year-old Albrecht appears in a daring image, because he resembles an image of Christ himself.

Self-portrait, 1500. Durer is 28 years old.

In addition, the portrait is painted from the front. At that time, this pose was used to paint images of saints, and secular portraits in Northern Europe were created in a three-quarter turn of the model. This portrait also reveals the artist’s ongoing search for ideal proportions.

The death of Albrecht Durer and his memory

The artist died in his Nuremberg home on April 6, 1528, a month and a half short of his 57th birthday. His passing was a huge loss not only for Germany, Albrecht Dürer was mourned by all the great minds of Europe at that time.

He was buried in St. John's Cemetery in Nuremberg. His lifelong friend, the German humanist Willibald Pirkheimer, wrote for the tombstone: “Under this hill lies what was mortal in Albrecht Dürer.”

Albrecht Durer's tombstone

The Albrecht-Dürer-Haus museum has been operating in Dürer's house since 1828.

Video on the topic

Sources:

• Book: Durer. S. Zarnitsky. 1984.
• "German engraving"

Albrecht Dürer (German Albrecht Dürer, May 21, 1471, Nuremberg - April 6, 1528, Nuremberg) - German painter and graphic artist, one of the greatest masters of the Western European Renaissance. Recognized as the largest European master of woodblock printing, who raised it to the level of real art. The first art theorist among Northern European artists, the author of a practical guide to fine and decorative arts in German, who promoted the need for the diversified development of artists. Founder of comparative anthropometry. In addition to the above, he left a noticeable mark on military engineering. The first European artist to write an autobiography.

The future artist was born on May 21, 1471 in Nuremberg, in the family of jeweler Albrecht Dürer, who arrived in this German city from Hungary in the mid-15th century, and Barbara Holper. The Dürers had eighteen children, some, as Dürer the Younger himself wrote, died “in their youth, others when they grew up.” In 1524, only three of the Dürer children were alive - Albrecht, Hans and Endres.

The future artist was the third child and second son in the family. His father, Albrecht Dürer the Elder, literally translated his Hungarian surname Aitoshi (Hungarian Ajtósi, from the name of the village of Aitosh, from the word ajtó - “door.”) into German as Türer; subsequently it was transformed under the influence of Frankish pronunciation and began to be written Dürer. Albrecht Dürer the Younger remembered his mother as a pious woman who lived a difficult life. Perhaps weakened by frequent pregnancies, she was sick a lot. The famous German publisher Anton Koberger became Dürer's godfather.

For some time, the Durers rented half of the house (next to the city central market) from the lawyer and diplomat Johann Pirkheimer. Hence the close acquaintance of two families belonging to different urban classes: the patricians Pirkheimers and the artisans Durers. Dürer the Younger was friends with Johann's son, Willibald, one of the most enlightened people in Germany, all his life. Thanks to him, the artist later entered the circle of humanists in Nuremberg, whose leader was Pirkheimer, and became his own man there.

From 1477 Albrecht attended the Latin school. At first, the father involved his son in working in a jewelry workshop. However, Albrecht wanted to paint. The elder Dürer, despite regretting the time spent training his son, gave in to his requests, and at the age of 15, Albrecht was sent to the workshop of the leading Nuremberg artist of the time, Michael Wolgemut. Durer himself spoke about this in his “Family Chronicle,” which he created at the end of his life, one of the first autobiographies in the history of Western European art.

From Wolgemut, Dürer mastered not only painting, but also wood engraving. Wolgemut, together with his stepson Wilhelm Pleydenwurf, made engravings for Hartmann Schedel's Book of Chronicles. In the work on the most illustrated book of the 15th century, which experts consider the Book of Chronicles, Wolgemut was helped by his students. One of the engravings for this edition, "Dance of Death", is attributed to Albrecht Dürer.

Studying in 1490 traditionally ended with wanderings (German: Wanderjahre), during which the apprentice learned skills from masters from other areas. Dürer's student trip lasted until 1494. His exact itinerary is unknown, but he traveled to a number of cities in Germany, Switzerland and (according to some researchers) the Netherlands, continuing to improve in the visual arts and processing of materials. In 1492, Dürer stayed in Alsace. He did not have time, as he wished, to see Martin Schongauer, who lived in Colmar, an artist whose work greatly influenced the young artist, a famous master of copper engraving. Schongauer died on February 2, 1491. Dürer was received with honor by the brothers of the deceased (Caspar, Paul, Ludwig), and Albrecht had the opportunity to work for some time in the artist’s studio. Probably with the help of Ludwig Schongauer, he mastered the technique of copper engraving, which at that time was mainly practiced by jewelers. Later, Dürer moved to Basel (presumably before the beginning of 1494), which at that time was one of the centers of printing, to Martin Schongauer's fourth brother, Georg. Around this period, illustrations in a new, previously unusual style appeared in books printed in Basel. The author of these illustrations received from art historians the name “Master of the Bergman Printing House.” After the discovery of the engraved plaque of the title page for the edition of “Letters of St. Jerome" 1492, signed on the back with the name of Dürer, the works of the "master of the printing house Bergmann" were attributed to him. In Basel, Dürer may have taken part in the creation of the famous woodcuts for Sebastian Brant's Ship of Fools (first published in 1494, the artist is credited with 75 engravings for this book). It is believed that in Basel, Dürer worked on engravings for the publication of the comedies of Terence (remained unfinished, out of 139 boards only 13 were cut), “The Knight of Thurn” (45 engravings) and a prayer book (20 engravings). (However, art critic A. Sidorov believed that it was not worth attributing all Basel engravings to Durer).

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Details Category: Fine arts and architecture of the Renaissance (Renaissance) Published 12/26/2016 17:45 Views: 3074

Albrecht Dürer is a multifaceted master, a true universal man, who is considered the “Leonardo da Vinci of the north.”

He distinguished himself in painting, drawing, engraving, bookplate, and stained glass. Dürer gained fame as a mathematician (primarily a geometer). He made three famous woodcuts depicting maps of the southern and northern hemispheres of the starry sky and the eastern hemisphere of the Earth. He created several treatises, which became the first works in northern Europe devoted to the theoretical systematization of knowledge about art. He created the work “Guide to Measuring with Compasses and Ruler,” intended primarily for artists. In the last years of his life, Albrecht Dürer paid a lot of attention to improving defensive fortifications, which was caused by the development of firearms.
In the field of printed graphics, Dürer also had no equal - he was recognized as a European-level master in the field of woodblock printing.
Albrecht Durer (1471-1528)- German painter and graphic artist, one of the greatest masters of the Northern Renaissance.

Albrecht Durer. Self-portrait (1500). Alte Pinakothek (Munich)

Early years and youth

A. Durer was born in Nuremberg in 1471 in the family of a jeweler from Hungary, Albrecht Durer. There were 18 children in the family. Albrecht Jr. was the third child and second son in the family.

A. Durer. Barbara Dürer, née Holper, the artist's mother. German National Museum (Nuremberg)

A. Durer. Albrecht Durer the Elder, the artist's father. Uffizi (Florence)

Initially, the Durers rented half of the house from the lawyer and diplomat Johann Pirkheimer. His son, Johann Willibald, became one of the most enlightened people in Germany; Dürer was his friend all his life.
Albrecht attended a Latin school. He was not interested in jewelry making; he chose painting. At the age of 15, Albrecht entered the studio of the famous Nuremberg artist of the time, Michael Wolgemut. There he also mastered wood engraving.

Trips

In 1490, Dürer began his travels, the purpose of which was to acquire skills from masters in Germany and other countries: Switzerland, the Netherlands. In Alsace, he mastered the technique of copper engraving from Ludwig Schongauer. In Basel he worked with Georg Schongauer to create a new style of book illustrations. It is believed that here Dürer took part in the creation of the famous woodcuts for “The Ship of Fools” by Sebastian Brant.

Illustration by A. Durer

In Strasbourg, A. Dürer created his “Self-Portrait with a Thistle” (1493) and sent it to his hometown.

Perhaps this self-portrait marked the beginning of a new stage in the artist’s personal life and was intended as a gift to his bride, because... in 1494 he returned to Nuremberg and soon married the daughter of his father's friend, a coppersmith, musician and mechanic, Agnes Frey.

A. Durer. Agnes Durer. Pen drawing (1494)

With his marriage, Dürer's social status increased - now he had the right to start his own business. But the artist’s family life was not happy due to the difference in character and views of the spouses. They had no children.
In 1494 Dürer went to Italy. And in 1495 he opened his own workshop in Nuremberg and over the next 10 years he was engaged in engraving. Later he also engaged in copper engraving. Dürer created 15 woodcuts for the book Apocalypse. They brought him European fame. Illustrations were also created for other works, including those of ancient authors.
In the last decade of the 15th century. the artist created several picturesque portraits and a self-portrait.

A. Durer. Self-Portrait (1498). Prado Museum (Madrid)

In 1502, his father died, and Albrecht took care of his mother and his two younger brothers (Endres and Hans).
In 1505, Dürer went to Venice and stayed there for 2 years. He became acquainted with the work of artists of the Venetian School, and this influenced his painting style. He was especially impressed by the paintings of Giovanni Bellini.
Next, the artist visited Bologna, Padua, and Rome.

Dürer House Museum

Returning to Nuremberg, Dürer bought a house in Zisselgasse, which is currently the Dürer House Museum.
Commissioned by the Nuremberg merchant Matthias Landauer, he painted the altarpiece “Adoration of the Holy Trinity.”

Landauer Altarpiece (1511). Kunsthistorisches Museum (Vienna)

But his main efforts were aimed at improving his engraving skills, and, from 1515, etching (a type of metal engraving).
Since 1512, Emperor Maximilian I became the artist’s main patron.

A. Durer “Portrait of Maximilian I”

Dürer begins to work on his orders: he performs the “Arch of Triumph”, and is engaged in a monumental woodcut (3.5 m x 3 m), made up of prints from 192 boards. A grandiose composition in honor of Maximilian was intended to decorate the wall. The model for it was the ancient Roman triumphal arches. In 1513, he, along with other artists, took part in the illustration (pen drawings) of one of the five copies of the “Prayer Book of Emperor Maximilian”.

Page from the Prayer Book

In 1520, the artist and his wife traveled to the Netherlands. Here he worked in the genre of graphic portraits, met with local craftsmen and helped them work on the triumphal arch for the ceremonial entry of Emperor Charles. In the Netherlands, Dürer, the famous artist, was a welcome guest everywhere. The magistrate of Antwerp even wanted to keep him in the city, offering an annual allowance of 300 guilders, a house as a gift, support, and payment of all his taxes. But in 1521 the Durers returned to Nuremberg.

last years of life

In the last years of his life, Dürer worked a lot as a painter. One of the most important paintings of recent years is the diptych “The Four Apostles,” which he presented to the city council in 1526. This was his last work. While still in the Netherlands, Dürer fell ill with an unknown disease - perhaps it was malaria. He suffered from attacks of this disease for the rest of his life. Until his last days, Dürer was preparing his theoretical treatise on proportions for publication. Albrecht Dürer died on April 6, 1528 in his native Nuremberg.

The artistic work of Albrecht Durer

Painting

Dürer dreamed of painting since childhood. His paintings are distinguished by unconventional thought and constant search for means of expression.
While in Venice, the artist created the painting “Christ among the Teachers” (1506).

Board, oil. 65x80 cm. Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum (Madrid)

In this painting, Dürer depicted a story from the Gospel, which tells how Joseph, Mary and 12-year-old Jesus arrived in Jerusalem to celebrate Easter. When the time came to return home, Jesus remained in Jerusalem. For three days, worried parents searched for him and finally found him in the Jerusalem temple, disputing with learned sages: “After three days they found Him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions; all who heard Him marveled at His understanding and His answers.”
The artist refuses to detail and, depicting the faces of the wise men and Christ in close-up, makes one feel the “tension of the dispute.” In the center of the composition are the hands of Jesus, counting his arguments in a conversation, and the hands of one of the teachers, indicating “nervousness and embarrassment.” This sage has a striking caricatured appearance, which has given rise to multiple interpretations. There is an assumption that Dürer illustrated the theory of four temperaments underlying human characters.
He created many altar images.

Heller Altarpiece (1507-1511)

“Geller Altarpiece” (“Altarpiece of the Assumption of Mary”) is an altar image in the form of a triptych Albrecht Dürer created together with Matthias Grunewald, commissioned by the patrician Jacob Geller for the church of the Dominican monastery in Frankfurt am Main. Part of it was preserved only in a copy made in the 16th century. artist Jobst Harrich.

Albrecht Durer "The Four Apostles" (1526). Oil. 215x76 cm. Alte Pinakothek (Munich)

The painting (diptych) consists of two vertical narrow doors, fastened together. The left wing depicts the apostles John and Peter, and the right – Mark and Paul. The apostles are in the same space, standing on the same floor. Compositionally and spiritually they are united. Dürer creates an artistic example of human characters and minds aspiring to the highest spheres of the spirit - this is the master’s idea of ​​the kind of person he should be.
Dürer gave the painting to his native Nuremberg; it was located in the hall of the town hall, where the most important matters of city government were decided. Maximilian I demanded that the painting be sent to Munich.
In adulthood, Dürer worked a lot on portraits and continued the tradition that had developed in the painting of Northern Europe: the model was depicted in a three-quarter spread against the background of a landscape, all the details were worked out very carefully and realistically.
The emergence of the Northern European self-portrait as an independent genre is associated with the name of Dürer.

Drawings by Albrecht Durer

Dürer revealed himself most as an artist in drawing, because... his paintings mainly depended on the arbitrariness of his customers, but in drawing he was free.
About a thousand of Dürer's drawings have survived, including his student works. The artist’s drawings depict landscapes, portraits, sketches of people, animals and plants. Animalistic and botanical drawings are marked by observation and faithfulness to the representation of the natural forms of the image object.

A. Durer "Hare". Paper, watercolor, gouache, whitewash. 25.1x22.6 cm. Albertina Gallery (Vienna)

Graphics by Albrecht Durer

After the publication of Apocalypse, Dürer became famous in Europe as a master of engraving.
Albrecht Dürer created 374 woodcuts and 83 copper engravings. Printed graphics became his main means of earning money. In addition to traditional biblical and new ancient ones, Dürer also developed everyday subjects in engraving.
Durer's engraving "Adam and Eve" (1504) is read as a masterpiece of engraving on metal.

A. Durer “Adam and Eve” (1504)

In 1513-1514. Dürer created three graphic sheets, masterpieces of engraving, included in the history of art under the name “Mastery Engravings”: “Knight, Death and the Devil”, “Saint Jerome in the Cell” and “Melancholy”.

A. Durer “Melancholy”. Copper, chisel engraving. 23.9x18.8 cm. State Hermitage Museum (St. Petersburg)

“Melancholy” is considered one of Durer’s most mysterious works; it stands out for the complexity and non-obviousness of the idea, the brightness of the symbols and allegories.

Bookplates by Albrecht Durer

Bookplate– a book sign identifying the owner of a book. The bookplate is pasted or stamped on the left endpaper of the book.
In total, 20 bookplates by Dürer are known, of which 7 are in the project and 13 are ready. Dürer made his first bookplate for his friend, writer and bibliophile Willibald Pirkheimer. The artist completed his own bookplate with the Dürer coat of arms in 1523. The image of an open door on the shield indicates the surname “Dürer.” The man's eagle wings and black skin are symbols of South German heraldry; they were also used by the Nuremberg family of Dürer's mother.

Coat of arms of Albrecht Durer (1523)

Dürer was the first artist to create and use his own coat of arms and the famous monogram (a large letter A with a D inscribed in it); later he had many imitators.

Dürer monogram

Stained glass by Albrecht Durer

It is not known whether Dürer personally took part in glass works, but many of them were created based on his sketches.

"Moses Receiving the Ten Commandments." Stained glass window based on a drawing by Albrecht Durer for the Church of St. Jacob's in Straubing (1500)

Albrecht Dürer was a famous mathematician (geometer), he composed a magic square: he arranged the numbers from 1 to 16 so that the sum 34 is obtained not only when adding them vertically, horizontally and diagonally, but also in all four quarters, in the central quadrilateral and even when adding numbers from four corner cells. The sum of any pair of numbers symmetrically located relative to the center of the square is 17.

Durer's magic square (fragment of his engraving "Melancholy")

Author - Gena_Malakhov. This is a quote from this post

Engravings by Albrecht Durer

Albrecht Durer- German painter and graphic artist, recognized as the largest European master of woodcuts and one of the greatest masters of Western European Renaissance art.

Dürer was born on May 21, 1471 in Nuremberg, in the family of a jeweler who came to this German city from Hungary in the middle of the 15th century. Eight children grew up in this family, of whom the future artist was the third child and second son. His father, Albrecht Durer Sr., was a goldsmith
At first, the father tried to get his son interested in jewelry, but he discovered his son’s talent as an artist. At the age of 15, Albrecht was sent to study in the studio of the leading Nuremberg artist of the time, Michael Wolgemut. There Dürer mastered not only painting, but also engraving on wood and copper. His studies in 1490 traditionally ended with a journey - over four years the young man traveled to a number of cities in Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands, continuing to improve in the fine arts and processing of materials.

Self-portrait (silver pencil drawing, 1484)

The first of Dürer's famous self-portraits was painted by him at the age of 13 (drawing with a silver pencil).

In 1494 Dürer returned to Nuremberg and soon after got married. Then, in the same year, he took a trip to Italy, where he became acquainted with the works of Mantegna, Polaiolo, Lorenzo di Credi and other masters. In 1495, Dürer returned to his hometown again and over the next ten years created a significant part of his engravings.

In 1520, the artist took a trip to the Netherlands, where he fell victim to an unknown disease, which then tormented him for the rest of his life.

Durer's house in Nuremberg

Dürer was the first artist to create and use his own coat of arms and monogram, and he subsequently had many imitators.

Coat of arms of Albrecht Durer, 1523

Dürer Aitoshi (Hungarian: Ajtósi) means “door” in Hungarian
The image of an open door on the shield on the coat of arms is a literal translation of the word that means "door" in Hungarian. Eagle wings and a man's black skin are symbols often found in southern German heraldry; they were also used by the Nuremberg family of Dürer's mother, Barbara Holper.

In the last years of his life, Albrecht Dürer paid a lot of attention to improving defensive fortifications, which was caused by the development of firearms. In his work “Guide to the Strengthening of Cities and Castles,” published in 1527, Dürer describes, in particular, a fundamentally new type of fortification, which he called basteia.

Dürer's grave in the St. John's Cemetery in Nuremberg

Dürer was the first German artist to work simultaneously in both types of engraving - on wood and on copper. He achieved extraordinary expressiveness in wood engraving, reforming the traditional manner of work and using working techniques that had developed in metal engraving.

In all works there is a living person contemporary to Durer, often of the peasant type, with a characteristic, expressive face, dressed in the costume of that time and surrounded by a precisely conveyed setting or landscape of a certain area. Much space is devoted to household details.
Here for the first time the artist's interest in the naked body is revealed, which Durer conveys accurately and truthfully, choosing first of all the ugly and characteristic.

Metal and wood engravings by Albrecht Durer

Knight, Death and Devil 1513

The engraving “Knight, Death and the Devil” reveals the world of acutely conflicting relationships between man and the environment, his understanding of duty and morality. The path of the armored rider is fraught with danger. From the gloomy thicket of the forest, ghosts jump across him - the devil with a halberd and death with an hourglass, reminding him of the transience of everything earthly, of the dangers and temptations of life. Ignoring them, the rider resolutely follows the chosen path. In his stern appearance there is tension of will, illuminated by the light of reason, the moral beauty of a person faithful to duty, courageously resisting danger.

Marine miracle 1498. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

The theme of “The Miracle of the Sea” goes back to a folk tale; the image of “Nemesis” was apparently borrowed by the artist from Poliziano’s poem “Manto”. In both engravings, Dürer introduces local flavor, using as the background an image of a medieval German town in a mountainous landscape, similar to those that he sketched during his trips to southern Germany.
Both sheets are dominated by the ugly but full of life figure of a naked woman.

Nemesis or Goddess of Fate 1502. Kunsthalle, Karlsruhe, Germany.

The "Nemesis" engraving embodies a certain philosophical concept, undoubtedly connected with the events of those days; the figure of a woman, very far from the classical ideal, is transformed into a monumental image of the winged Goddess of Fate, soaring over Germany.
In one hand the woman holds a precious golden phial, in the other - horse harness: objects hinting at the difference in the fate of people of different classes. It is characteristic that in ancient Greek mythology Nemesis was the goddess of vengeance. The duties of the goddess included punishment for crimes, overseeing the fair and equal distribution of goods among mortals. In the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, Nemesis was more considered an executor of fate.

Melancholia I 1514. Kunsthalle, Karlsruhe.

The concept of “Melancholia” has not yet been revealed, but the image of a powerful winged woman impresses with its significance and psychological depth.
Melancholy is the embodiment of a supreme being, a genius endowed with intellect, possessing all the achievements of human thought of that time, striving to penetrate the secrets of the universe, but obsessed with doubts, anxiety, disappointment and longing that accompany creative quests.
“Melancholia” is one of the works that “stunned the whole world”
(Vasari).

Four Witches 1497. National Museum, Nuremberg.

Dürer painted portraits, laid the foundations of the German landscape, transformed traditional biblical and gospel subjects, putting new life content into them. The artist's particular attention was drawn to engraving, first woodcut, and then copper engraving. Dürer expanded the themes of graphics, attracting literary, everyday, and mischievous genre subjects.

This work contains a complex interweaving of medieval views with religious traditions
The allegorical nature, symbolism of images, the intricacy of complex theological concepts, and mystical fiction are preserved from the Middle Ages; from the images of ancient religiosity - clashes of spiritual and material forces, a feeling of tension, struggle, confusion and humility.

Dürer did not have a large workshop with many students. His reliable students are unknown. Presumably, primarily three Nuremberg artists are associated with him - the brothers Hans Sebald (1500-1550) and Bartel (1502-1540) Beham and Georg Penz (c. 1500-1550), known mainly as masters of small format engravings (the so-called Kleinmeisters ; they also worked as painters). It is interesting to mention that in 1525 all three young masters were put on trial and expelled from Nuremberg for atheistic views and expressing revolutionary ideas.

In the 1500s, a turning point occurred in Dürer's work. The pathos and drama of early works were replaced by balance and harmony. The role of calm storytelling, imbued with lyrical emotions, has increased
The picturesquely interpreted forest landscape organically includes figures of people and animals embodying various symbols.

At the turn of the 1500s, Dürer made a number of engravings on copper and wood, in which the quest of the young master was clearly defined. These engravings, even in cases where they contain religious, mythological or allegorical subjects, primarily represent genre scenes with a pronounced local character.
Everywhere the person comes first, and everything else plays the role of his environment.

The engraving “Saint Jerome in his cell” reveals the ideal of a humanist who devoted himself to comprehending the highest truths. In solving the theme, in the everyday interpretation of the image of the scientist, the leading role is played by the interior, transformed by the artist into an emotional poetic environment. Figure of Jerome immersed in translations of the sacred books
Jerome's cell is not the gloomy refuge of an ascetic, but a modest room in a modern house. The everyday intimate democratic interpretation of the image of Jerome is given outside the official church interpretation, perhaps under the influence of the teachings of the reformers.

Wood engravings by Albrecht Durer from the cycle
“Apocalypse” or “Revelation of St. John the Theologian”,
1497-1498, Kunsthalle gallery, Karlsruhe.

Martyrdom of St. John Kunsthalle, Karlsruhe, Germany.

Dürer's first major work was a series of large format woodcuts of fifteen sheets on the theme of the Apocalypse of St. John the Evangelist
In this series by Dürer, medieval religious views were intertwined with the disturbing sentiments caused by the social events of the present day.

This engraving by Albrecht Durer is according to a summary of the Revelation of John the Theologian, the Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants what must soon happen. And He showed it by sending it through His Angel to His servant John

In the allegorical scenes, Dürer introduced images of representatives of different classes of German society, living real people, filled with passionate and anxious emotions and active action. Particularly notable is the famous sheet depicting four apocalyptic horsemen with a bow, sword, scales and pitchfork, who prostrated the people who fled from them - a peasant, a city dweller and an emperor. This image is clearly connected with Dürer’s contemporary life: there is no doubt that the four horsemen symbolize, in the artist’s mind, destructive forces - war, disease, divine justice and death, which spare neither ordinary people nor the emperor.

Four Horsemen of Apocal ipsis Kunsthalle, Karlsruhe, Germany.

The sheet “The Four Horsemen” emanates menacing pathos. In terms of the all-crushing power of impulse and gloomy expression, this composition has no equal in German art of that time. Death, judgment, war and pestilence rush furiously over the earth, destroying everything in its path.

The terrible scenes of death and punishment described in the Apocalypse acquired a topical meaning in pre-revolutionary Germany. Dürer introduced into his engravings many subtle observations of nature and life: architecture, costumes, types, landscapes of modern Germany.
The breadth of coverage of the world characteristic of Dürer's engravings was unknown to German art of the 15th century; at the same time, in most of Dürer’s sheets lives the restless spirit of late German Gothic.

This engraving by Albrecht Durer is according to a summary of the Revelation of John the Evangelist

And when He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been killed for the word of God and for the testimony that they had.
10 And they cried out with a loud voice, saying: How long, O Lord, Holy and True, do you not judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?
11 And white garments were given to each of them, and it was said to them that they should rest still for a little while, until their fellow servants and their brothers, who would be killed like them, would be completed.
12 And when He opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became dark as sackcloth, and the moon became like blood.
13 And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree, shaken by a strong wind, drops its unripe figs.
For the great day of His wrath has come, and who can stand?

1 And after this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, so that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.

2 And I saw another angel rising from the east of the sun, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four Angels, to whom it was given to harm the earth and the sea, saying:
3 Do not harm the earth, nor the sea, nor the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.
Revelations of John the Theologian

1 And when He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for as it were for half an hour.
2 And I saw seven angels standing before God; and seven trumpets were given to them.
3 And another angel came and stood before the altar, holding a golden censer; and a great deal of incense was given to him, so that with the prayers of all the saints he would place it on the golden altar, which was in front of the throne.
4 And the smoke of incense ascended with the prayers of the saints from the hand of an angel before God.
5 And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire from the altar, and cast it to the earth: and there were voices, and thunder, and lightning, and an earthquake.
6 And the seven angels having seven trumpets prepared to sound.
Revelations of John the Theologian

1 The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star fall from heaven to earth, and the key of the deep pit was given to it.
2 She opened the pit of the deep, and smoke came out of the pit like smoke from a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke from the vault.
3 And out of the smoke came locusts onto the earth, and they were given power like the scorpions of the earth.
4 And she was told not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green plant, or any tree, but only to people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.
5 And it was given to her not to kill them, but only to torment them for five months; and her torment is like the torment of a scorpion when it stings a person.
6 In those days people will seek death, but will not find it; they will wish to die, but death will flee from them.
Revelations of John the Theologian

8 And the voice that I heard from heaven began to speak to me again, and said: Go, take the open book from the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the earth.
9 And I went to the Angel and said to him: Give me the book. He said to me: take it and eat it; she will be bitter in your belly, but in your mouth she will be sweet as honey.
10 And I took the book from the hand of the angel, and ate it; and she was as sweet as honey in my mouth; When I ate it, my stomach became bitter.
11 And he said to me, “You must prophesy again about peoples and nations and languages ​​and many kings.”
Revelations of John the Theologian

1 And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun; under her feet is the moon, and on her head is a crown of twelve stars.
2 She was with child, and cried out from the pains and pangs of birth.
3 And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven crowns.
4 His tail drew a third of the stars from the sky and threw them to the ground. This dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth, he would devour her baby.
5 And she gave birth to a male child, who is to rule all nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and His throne.
6 But the woman fled into the wilderness, where a place had been prepared for her by God, that she might be fed there for one thousand two hundred and sixty days.
Revelations of John the Theologian

In the engraving “The Battle of the Archangel Michael with the Dragon,” the pathos of the fierce battle is emphasized by the contrasts of light and shadow, and the restless intermittent rhythm of the lines. In the heroic image of a young man with an inspired and determined face, in a sunlit landscape with its boundless expanses, faith in the victory of the bright principle is expressed.

1 And I looked, and behold, a Lamb stood on Mount Zion, and with Him an hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father’s name written on their foreheads.
2 And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters, and like the sound of great thunder; and I heard the voice of harpists playing their harps.
3 They sing, as it were, a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders; and no one could learn this song except these hundred and forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the earth.
4 These are they who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins; these are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. They are redeemed from among men, as the firstborn of God and the Lamb,
5 And in their mouth there is no guile; they are blameless before the throne of God.
6 And I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people;
Revelations of John the Theologian

1 And one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke to me, saying to me: Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters;

2 The kings of the earth committed fornication with her, and those who dwell on the earth became drunk with the wine of her fornication.
3 And he led me in the spirit into the wilderness; and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns.
4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, and had a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominations and the filthiness of her fornication;
5 And on her forehead was written a name: mystery, Babylon the great, mother of harlots and abominations of the earth.
Revelations of John the Theologian

1 And I saw an angel descending from heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand.
2 He took the dragon, the ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years,
3 And he cast him into the abyss, and shut him up, and put a seal over him, that he should deceive the nations no more, until the thousand years were ended; after this he should be released for a short time.
4 And I saw thrones and those sitting on them, to whom judgment had been given, and the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast nor his image, nor received the mark on their foreheads or on their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
Revelations of John the Theologian

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