Albrecht Dürer
By: Stephanie MacMillan
Biography
Albrecht Dürer, born in Nuremberg Germany May 21, 1471, is known as one of the leading artists of the renaissance. The mathematical methods he used in his artwork influenced many other artists of his time. Dürer had always had a love for the arts but he truly began too develop his skills when he assisted artist Michel Wohlgemuth. Soon after, he was able to travel Europe on his own as a painter, working with some of the leading painters of the time. Emperor Maximilian was one of Dürer's many patrons. He spent most of his life in his home town of Nuremberg, although he did spend a significant amount of time in Venice. He was devoted to making his paintings as realistic as possible. He studied perspective, proportion and the problems of space. He also used mathematical techniques to create his paintings. Some of his most famous works are The Four Horsemen of Apocalypse and The Fall of Man. The year of his death,1528, The Four books of human Proportions were published as a result of his studies. These books had a significant affect on the arts.
Albrecht Dürer Self Portrait
The Fall of Man
The Fall of man is a piece inspired by the story of Adam and Eve. This piece was made in 1504. This piece is significant because it is actually an engraving. it shows Dürer's idea of a perfect human proportion and the two people in the painting have almost symmetrical poses. I find this piece interesting because it is an engraving and it is an interesting interpretation of the story of Adam and Eve. I think this painting represents humanism, because although this is a religious piece, it emphasizes the importance of perfection in humans and it make Adam and Eve like a symbol of goodness even thought they are sinners. This engraving can be found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
This is one of Dürer's most famous pieces. It was made in 1497-1498. The significance of this piece is it dramatically represents a section from The Book of revelation (6:1-8). You can find this artwork at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I think this piece is also an example of humanism because the four men represent forms of death and making these forms of death into humans shows that God does not control everything, and death and bad things can be brought upon us by humans. I find this piece interesting because at first glance it looks like a big mess but after looking at it closely you can really see what is happening and the picture and how Dürer payed close attention to detail and symbolism.
Bibliography
"Albrecht Dürer: Adam and Eve" (19.73.1) In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History . New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/19.73.1. (October 2006
"Albrecht Dürer: Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" (19.73.209) In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History . New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/19.73.209. (October 2006)
"Albrecht Dürer." Mathematics. Ed. Barry Max Brandenberger, Jr. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2002. Biography in Context. Web. 12 Nov. 2013.
"Self-portrait of Albrecht Durer." Gale Biography in Context. Detroit: Gale, 2011.Biography in Context. Web. 18 Nov. 2013..