1. Albrecht Dürer (1471 - 1528) German Renaissance Artist
1. Self-portrait
1484, silverpoint, 11” x 7-3/4”, Albertina Museum, Vienna
The earliest surviving work by Albrecht Dürer is this self-portrait, drawn when he was a 13 year old assistant in his father’s goldsmith workshop. It shows him dressed in the humble shirt of an apprentice. Dürer created this drawing in silverpoint that used a silver metal stylus, the ancestor of today’s graphite pencil, and specially coated paper. Drawing on the coated paper with the silver metal point created a chemical reaction that left a faint line. Over time, these silver point lines would “age,” or tarnish, which caused them to eventually turn dark brown.
While this drawing is the first acknowledged self-portrait in German art, it is certainly not the last self-portrait that Dürer drew. Here Dürer used a mirror to study his pose and then created his image with a series of contour lines that captured his shape and features. Next, he gave his drawing realistic form, value contrasts, and shadows through the use of many hatched and cross-hatched lines. The textures of his hair and the soft folds of his shirt were also created with his use of carefully drawn lines. Although the drawing’s composition is asymmetrical due to his sideways pose, Durer chose to create a triangular composition (favored by Renaissance artists) that is both stable and balanced.
How does Dürer use lines in this drawing? (He used carefully-drawn contour lines to create his form as well as hatched and cross-hatched lines that both created his shape and features while adding realistic value contrasts, shadows, and textures.)
Self-Portrait
1484, silverpoint, 11” x 7 ¾” , Albertina Museum, Vienna, Austria
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2. Albrecht Dürer (1471 - 1528) German Renaissance Artist
3. Self-Portrait
1498, oil on panel, 21-1/2” x 16-1/2”, Prado Museum, Madrid
At the age of 26, Dürer painted this portrait of himself dressed as a gentleman. The painting shows influences from his recent travels to Italy and the composition is similar to that of Italian portraiture, with the landscape glimpsed through the window in the background. The portrait reveals Dürer’s obvious pride in his appearance as well as a certain level of fame and prestige he must have felt that he had achieved at that point in his career. His clothing and his sidelong gaze lend an aristocratic tone that reflects his elevated status that he indicates was far beyond that of a mere craftsman.
Contour edges once again define his form and contrasts of color as well as detailed lines work to recreate not only the textures, folds, and decorations of his clothing but also the long curls of his hair and the shading and shadows of his form. His pose once again forms a triangular composition and even though the composition is asymmetrical, it is balanced. Dürer signed this painting with his usual monogram that can be found under the windowsill; above it he also wrote, “I painted this from my own appearance; I was twenty-six years old.”
What geometric figure is this composition based on? (Dürer’s pose in this composition is based upon the triangle.)
Self-Portrait
1498, oil on panel, 21-1/2” x 16-1/2”, Prado Museum, Madrid
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3. Albrecht Dürer (1471 - 1528) German Renaissance Artist
4. Self-Portrait
1500, oil on panel, 26-3/4” x 19-1/2”, Alte Pinakothek, Munich
In this painting, Dürer created his most formal self-portrait, a symmetrically-balanced, full-face view in the manner traditionally reserved only for reverent depictions of Christ or the Holy Mother. While the Germans had long considered the artist to be a mere craftsman back as far as the Middle Ages, Dürer instead rejected that image and here elevated himself to the status of a cultured gentleman-scholar. This painting not only reflected his self-declared high status, but also portrayed his fervent belief that his artistic talents were a special gift from God.
Dürer again used contour-lines and value contrasts to define his form against the dark background, as well as value contrasts that create form, shadows, and highlights that give his form a full-fleshed and realistic appearance. Dürer’s use of detailed lines and color values recreates the textures of his hair, mustache, robe, and fur collar. The realistic appearance of the fur and placement of his hand, draws our attention to the robe as further evidence of his high status as fur trimmed garments were regulated to and worn only by those of high social standing. Dürer’s use of shading suggests a light source from the left side of the painting which throws the right side of his face and body into shadow. To the right of his head, Dürer wrote the following note: “Thus I, Albrecht Dürer from Nuremburg, painted myself with lasting colors at the age of 28 years.”
Where is his monogram in this painting? (Dürer’s monogram is to the left of his head.)
How does Dürer create the texture you see in the fur collar and hair? (Dürer used detailed lines and color values to recreate the textures of his hair, mustache, robe, and fur collar.)
Self-Portrait
1500, oil on panel, 26-3/4” x 19-1/2”, Alte Pinakothek, Munich
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4. Albrecht Dürer (1471 - 1528) German Renaissance Artist
5. Arco (Venetian Outpost)
1495, watercolor, approx. 8-7/8” x 8-7/8”, Musée du Louvre, Paris, France
Dürer is considered to be among the first masters of watercolor painting. His technique at the time was quite practical: he would carefully draw the outlines of the scene with a fine brush and then use opaque colors to create the form and volume of shapes as well as transparent washes of color to create light effects. He would then add a final application of both dark and white fine-line brushstrokes to fill in the details.
Dürer’s watercolors were the first to focus on a landscape or nature study as the subject and focal point of a composition. Dürer produced many watercolor paintings for his own records and enjoyment when he was free from the demands of patrons. His subjects and compositions were of those scenes and/or subjects that particularly interested him.
Soon after his wedding in 1494, Dürer made a trip to Italy to study the art of Venice. Whenever he traveled, he would often stop along the way in order to paint extraordinary views of the towns and countryside he passed through. When he returned to Nuremberg in 1495, Dürer detoured from the main road so that he could visit Lake Garda and paint this view of the castle and town of Arco, an important fortification and village on the perimeter of the Venetian City-State.
In this painting, Dürer first used a fine brush to draw the contour lines that outline the scene, He then added thin tints and washes of color for highlights along with opaque colors that create forms, shapes, and shadows with value contrasts. He also added many fine lines that recreate the dark and light details and textures of the scene. We can see those various fine lines and detailed textures throughout the many round, fluffy olive trees, the rows of grape vines, in the craggy, barren foreground, and in the rough, rocky mountain cliffs and sturdy stone walls of the high castle-fortress and walled village below.
Dürer would often add hidden faces in his works and several hide within this rugged landscape—can you find them? (there is a face on the cliff at the extreme left of the painting, to the left on the face of the mountainside, and at the left edge of the planted field in the lower right of the painting.)
Arco (Venetian Outpost)
1495, watercolor,
approx. 8-7/8” x 8-7/8”,
Musée du Louvre, Paris, France
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5. Albrecht Dürer (1471 - 1528) German Renaissance Artist
6. Young Hare
1502, watercolor and gouache, 8-1/2”x 9”, Albertina Museum, Vienna, Austria
Nature, with all its beauty and peculiarities, was a life-long interest for Dürer, and it provided subjects for some of his finest work. He often chose to work with watercolors for his nature drawings, because the medium gave his works a greater delicacy of color and a striking life-like quality.
Here we see the portrait of a young hare. While the lines of the whiskers are obvious, we need to look closely to fully appreciate how Dürer created the detailed textures of the fur with thousands of individual fine lines that he carefully painted in a variety of contrasting values and colors. Delicate lines also form such accurate details of the hare’s body that we can almost feel the sharp points of the hare’s claws as well as its soft fur while we watch for its nose to twitch in curiosity.
It is said that Dürer painted the details of the hare’s sparkling eyes so accurately that in one pupil we can actually see the image of the windows in the room where the hare posed quietly while Dürer painted this vibrant portrait.
What elements and principle create the realistic appearance of the hare’s fur? (The principle of contrast was combined with the elements of line, value, and texture to create the hare’s fur.)
What is the difference between a rabbit and a hare? (Hares are larger, have longer ears, and longer hind legs. Unlike rabbits, hares also have a full coat of fur and eyes that are open at birth.)
Young Hare
1502, watercolor and gouache, 8-1/2”x 9”, Albertina Museum, Vienna, Austria
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6. Albrecht Dürer (1471 - 1528) German Renaissance Artist
7. The Great Piece of Turf
1503, watercolor, 16-1/2” x 12-1/2”, Albertina Museum, Vienna, Austria
In another of Dürer’s watercolors from nature, we see a small clump of grasses and plants that, from our viewpoint, has become a forest full of life. Each plant was painted in such detail that it can be scientifically identified. Individually-painted fine lines create each blade or stalk of grass.
Dürer first carefully outlined each plant with finely-painted contour lines and then used opaque colors to create the various forms and volumes of plant shapes. He then used both dark and light fine lines to add details such as thorns, tassels, and the veins of the broader leaves.
While the left and right sides as well as the top and bottom of this painting are all different, each carries an equal visual weight that gives the painting asymmetrical balance. Dürer recreated a many contrasting textures by painting a variety of sharp bladed and seeded grasses next to other smooth, broad leaves that join several stalks of feathery dandelions to all rise above the soft, moist earth. The variety of contrasts in color values, textures, shadows, and highlights together create an entirely realistic, three-dimensional glimpse of common turf.
Where does Dürer contrast textures in this painting? (Dürer recreated a many contrasting textures by painting a variety of sharp bladed and seeded grasses next to other smooth, broad leaves that join several stalks of feathery dandelions to all rise above the soft, moist earth. )
The Great Piece of Turf
1503, watercolor, 16-1/2” x 12-1/2”, Albertina Museum, Vienna, Austria
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7. Albrecht Dürer (1471 - 1528) German Renaissance Artist
Head of an Angel
1506, brush drawing
on blue Venetian paper,
approx. 10 ½” x 8 ¼”,
Graphische Sammlung Albertina,
Vienna, Austria
8. Feast of the Rose Garlands
1506, oil on panel, 64-3/4” x 77-3/4”, Narodni Galerie, Prague, Czech Republic
During his second trip to Italy, Dürer was commissioned to paint this altarpiece for the sanctuary of San Bartolommeo in Venice, the church regularly attended by the many German businessmen who lived in the Italian city. Although the German merchants who commissioned the painting may have been homesick for the religious images of their homeland, Dürer painted this symmetrically-balanced altarpiece in the Italian tradition, complete with background landscape and cherubs (putti). Many prominent Germans are represented in the painting, among them the head of the German community in Venice and Emperor Maximilian of Hapsburg, upon whose head Mary places the rose garland. Dürer has also included his own self-portrait: he stands under the tree on the extreme right and holds a scroll written in Latin, that includes his monogram, the date, and text stating that the altarpiece took five months to complete. (Many Renaissance artists often included their own image somewhere in a large composition.)
Although this painting has been poorly preserved, there is still evidence of Dürer’s mastery in the areas of delicate shading achieved by value contrasts and the use of line to create the details in the scene, add to the effect. Note the triangular composition of the three central figures in the center that is part of the symmetrically balanced composition. The robes of the two figures kneeling to either side of Mary create implied diagonal lines that lead our eyes back to the central focal point that is Mary and the Christ Child.
Head of an Angel
1506, brush drawing on blue Venetian paper, approx. 10 ½” x 8 ¼”,
Graphische Sammlung Albertina, Vienna, Austria
Dürer made at least 22 preparatory sketches for this painting; most were painted with a fine brush in both black and white inks on blue Venetian paper. Note how Dürer painted in the outlines of this angel’s head first and then created the form, features, shapes, shadows, and highlights entirely through the use of carefully drawn, delicate hatched and cross-hatched lines. This angel sits at the bottom central front of the painting, gazing upward and strumming the strings of a lute.
Feast of the Rose Garlands
1506, oil on panel, 64-3/4” x 77-3/4”,
Narodni Galerie, Prague, Czech Republic
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8. Albrecht Dürer (1471 - 1528) German Renaissance Artist
10. The Four Apostles
, oil on panel, each panel 86-1/2” x 30-1/2”, Alte Pinakothek, Munich, Germany
In 1521, Dürer began working on these paintings as side panels for a Catholic altarpiece but by 1525, Nuremberg’s politics and the increasing tensions between Martin Luther’s Protestantism and the traditions of the Catholic Church made religious works impossible. Durer decided to give the two paintings to the city of Nuremberg as a testament and memorial for City Hall. It was his last major artwork.
Dürer specifically chose to depict the Saints John, Peter, Mark, and Paul because their biblical writings were favored by the Reformation’s Protestant leader, Martin Luther, whom Dürer quietly admired and supported. Dürer depicted the four apostles—John and Peter on the left panel, and Mark and Paul on the right—with expressions and poses that were at that time easily recognized as the depiction of the four temperaments (or humors) of the human soul: St. John was sanguine and confident; St. Peter was the elderly, stoic, and phlegmatic; St. Mark was the fiery, confrontational, choleric; and St. Paul was the melancholic and austere genius. Dürer managed to combine a strong Protestant evangelical theme with the popular secular philosophy of the day while successfully combining Northern European detailed realism with traditional Italian classical proportion, graceful gesture, and balanced forms. He also had the calligrapher, Johann Neudörffer, add the following warning at the bottom of the work: “All worldly rulers in this threatening time, beware not to take human delusion for the Word of God. For God wishes nothing added to his Word, nor taken from it. Take heed of the admonition of these four excellent men, Peter, John, Paul, and Mark.”
Dürer recreated realistic folds and textures in the clothing worn by the apostles through the use of both line and value contrasts. The poses of the individuals on each panel are asymmetrical, yet, when both panels are placed together, they create a symmetrical balance. Dürer also placed his monogram in the upper right of the right-hand panel.
Can the students find Dürer’s monogram? How did Dürer make the flowing robes look realistic? (Dürer made the apostles’ robes look realistic by the use of both line and value contrasts.)
The Four Apostles
, oil on panel,
each panel 86-1/2” x 30-1/2”,
Alte Pinakothek,
Munich, Germany
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9. Albrecht Dürer (1471 - 1528) German Renaissance Artist
12. Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
, woodcut, 15-3/4” x 11-3/8”, State Museum, Berlin
In 1498, Dürer published a book, The Apocalypse, that was based on the biblical writings of St. John and The Book of Revelation. This was the first book ever produced without commission entirely by one artist, and with it Dürer introduced a new style for illustrated texts. Earlier books had illustrations set into the body of the text, but Dürer used a full page for his woodcut illustrations and printed the text on the back. (It is unclear, however, whether Dürer did the actual carving of the woodblocks himself, or whether he drew the images on the woodblocks and then hired a capable artisan to actually carve each woodblock for printing.)
The illustrations in Dürer’s Apocalypse book depicted many of the problems then facing the 15th Century European population, including war, famine, and plague. The book was immediately popular and many copies of it circulated throughout Europe. The book contained15 illustrated scenes and the most famous was, “The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse,” with its mounted figures who represented Death, Famine (or Want), War, and Pestilence (Disease). Never before had all four Horsemen been pictured together, and Dürer’s detailed and realistic drawing skills visually lifted the four riders into the air and gave them the illusion of dynamic movement by the placement of their charging figures on a subtle upward diagonal line.
There is little distinction between the outlines of forms and the variety of hatched shading and textural lines that were carved into this woodcut. The outline of one form was often created by an area of hatched lines cut next to it. It is the repetition and closeness of these hatched lines that creates shadows and forms and the vivid images. The use of line also simulated textures, such as the horses’ manes or the billowing clouds. The balance created in this exciting composition is obviously asymmetrical. For instance, the shapes of the poor figures being trampled in the lower right hand corner are balanced by the white clouds of heaven seen in the upper left hand corner.
How is the image created in a woodblock print? ( A woodcut image is made by carefully carving away sections of the woodblock where the image will not print. The areas and lines that remain uncut on the woodblock are then inked in order to produce the desired image.)
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
, woodcut, 15-3/4” x 11-3/8”, State Museum, Berlin
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10. Albrecht Dürer (1471 - 1528) German Renaissance Artist
13. Melencholia I
1514, engraving, 9-1/2” x 6-3/4”, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
This is considered to be one of Dürer’s finest “master engravings,” all created between It is also his most puzzling composition and people have long tried to determine all the meanings of and explanations of the various figures, objects, and symbols that Dürer included in the image.
At the time, people typically accepted that many things occurred in fours: there were four seasons, four winds, four times of day, and four ages of man. Melancholy was considered to be one of the four humors, or characteristics, of human beings: 1. sanguine, 2. phlegmatic, 3. choleric, and 4. melancholic. Dürer believed that melancholic, moody people were actually the most creative, but that their divine gift of creative genius also frustrated them because they also realized they would never be able to achieve everything they imagined, despite the many creative tools that were readily available to them. The glowering, angelic figure represents such a thwarted and disheartened artistic genius, in the midst of a frustrating creative block, despite being surrounded by a variety of creative and intellectual tools that were typically used by skilled artisans, mathematicians, and woodworkers. Puzzles also abound, such as why Dürer included the mysterious square under the bell at the upper right in which every row of numbers—whether vertical, horizontal, or diagonal—adds up to a value of 34.
The engraving process used for this print (first drawn onto a copperplate and then carefully etched into the metal surface with a metal tool called a burin) allowed for much finer lines resulting in much greater detail than was possible with woodcuts. Dürer’s lines created many textures in this scene, such as the feathers of the angel’s wings, the soft folds of the gown, the textured surface of the stone polyhedron, and even the bony ribs of the dog. The subtlety and fineness of Dürer’s hatched and cross-hatched lines also created a new value of gray which added to the depth, form, shadows, and thus the visual realism of the composition.
This work is balanced asymmetrically, with the lightly-colored sphere and stone polyhedron on the left both balanced by the darker and larger elements to the right. Dürer hid his monogram and the date in a dark area at the right, under the bench upon which the angel is seated.
Melencholia I
1514, engraving, 9-1/2” x 6-3/4”, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
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11. Albrecht Dürer (1471 - 1528) German Renaissance Artist
14. St. Jerome in his Study
1514, engraving, 9-3/8” x 7-1/2”, print in the collection of the Portland Art Museum, Portland, Oregon
St. Jerome, the hero of Christian humanism and first translator of the Bible from early Hebrew and Green into Latin (known as the Vulgate edition), was Dürer’s favorite saint and his most depicted artistic subject. He considered this engraving to be an alternative and companion piece to “Melancholia I,” because the calm and order of this scene starkly contrasted with the angst illustrated in the other print. Dürer might have used a room in his own house as the model for the one pictured here, with its group of windows, beamed ceiling and paneled walls. Dürer once again included many especially meaningful symbols and objects, such as the lion (St. Jerome’s symbolic companion) and dog that snooze quietly, side by side, on the floor in front of St. Jerome’s table—all the symbols shown here have obvious associations with calm, peace, life, and tranquility.
This engraving is considered to be one of Dürer’s finest “master engravings,” that were all created between This print is indeed a masterpiece of both perspective and light. At the left, the sunlight floods the patterned windows and reflects upon the walls, the ceiling, and the floor under St. Jerome’s table while all the receding straight lines in the room follow one-point perspective to converge at a point located in the middle of and near to the print’s right edge.
Dürer also achieved a variety of textures and contrasts through his skilled use of incised lines. His expertly hatched and cross-hatched lines created darker shadows to contrast with the highlighted areas. He also created a halo of light to surround and emphasize St. Jerome’s head by its stark contrast against the dark wood paneling behind him. Dürer’s finely detailed lines also simulated a variety of textures such as the wood paneling on the walls, ceiling, and floor; the translucence of the glass windows; and the fur coats on the lion and sleeping dog. The balance of the composition is asymmetrical, with the brighter area of the windows on the left balanced by the darker interior of the room to the right. The arrangement of St. Jerome and the animals lying before him creates a stable, triangular composition, which adds further balance to the scene.
Is this composition symmetrically or asymmetrically balanced? (asymmetrically balanced)
St. Jerome in his Study
1514, engraving, 9-3/8” x 7-1/2”, print in the collection of the Portland Art Museum,
Portland, Oregon
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12. Albrecht Dürer (1471 - 1528) German Renaissance Artist
15. Rhinoceros
1515, woodcut, 8-1/2” x 12”, British Museum, London, England
Dürer created this woodcut, not from direct observation, but from a detailed description he received in a letter. The rhinoceros was at that time unknown in Europe, and the description given to Dürer read, “It has the color of a speckled turtle, and it is almost entirely covered by a thick shell. And in size it is like the elephant but low on its legs. It has a strong horn on its nose which it starts to sharpen whenever it is near stones.” Dürer decided to give the rhinoceros a thick shell that looked as hard and tough as a knight’s suit of armor. Although this image of a rhinoceros is obviously not a completely accurate drawing, Dürer’s likeness was so believable that it was often used as an illustration in several early reference books.
To create this woodcut, Dürer first carefully drew the contour lines to define the body of the animal. He then added detailed hatching lines to create the areas of simulated textures and value contrasts that give the animal its form, shape, and shadows. Textural contrasts were also created between adjacent sections of the animal’s body sections, and it is these contrasts that helped create the appearance of protective plates, like those of a knight’s suit of armor. The rhinoceros’ head also contains many areas of textural contrasts such as the spiny hairs under the chin that contrast with the scale-covered area around the snout. Brightly highlighted areas on the rhinoceros’ head, shoulders, back, and toes all balance and contrast with the especially dark shadows that define the animal’s chin, ears, belly, and rump.
The balance of this composition is asymmetrical simply because both ends of the animal cannot look the same!
Dürer’s skilled and delicate use of line in all of his woodcuts and engraved prints made each of them masterpieces and he is rightfully known as the greatest printmaker of all time.
How does Dürer create detail of the animal’s body? (To create details of the rhinoceros’ body, Dürer used fine hatched lines that create simulated textures, value contrasts, and shadows as they contrast with and emphasize the highlighted areas.)
Rhinoceros
1515, woodcut, 8-1/2” x 12”, British Museum, London, England
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