Albrecht Dürer was a painter, printmaker, and theorist who was representative of Germany during the Renaissance. He produced outstanding works in all genres, including oil painting, watercolor painting, and drawing, but he established innovative techniques and expressions in the field of printmaking in particular, and his fame spread throughout Europe. A multitalented artist who was also called the " Leonardo da Vinci of the North ," his precise depictions and highly spiritual expressions had a major influence on artists of later generations.

Albrecht Dürer Biography

• Born May 21, 1471 in Nuremberg, Holy Roman Empire
• After training under his father, who was a goldsmith, he studied painting in the workshop of Michael Wolgemut in 1486.
• From 1490, he set out on a journey of study, encountering art from all over the world.
• In 1494, he traveled to Venice and studied Italian Renaissance art.
• In 1495, he opened a workshop in Nuremberg and focused on printmaking.
• From around 1512, the city came under the patronage of Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I.
• 1520-1521: Travelled in the Netherlands and met many artists
• Died April 6, 1528 in Nuremberg (aged 56)

Representative works

• Four Apostles (1526) (oil on canvas)
• Melencolia I (1514) (copperplate engraving)
• The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1498) (woodcut)
• Self-Portrait (1500) (oil on canvas)
• Praying Hands (c. 1508) (Drawing)

The Art of Albrecht Dürer

Albrecht Dürer's art is characterized by its fusion of the precise realism of the Northern Renaissance and the ideal beauty of the Italian Renaissance. In particular, in his printmaking , he revolutionized the techniques of woodblock and copperplate printing, achieving unprecedented levels of detailed expression and rich light and dark effects. He also studied perspective and human proportions, leaving behind works such as "Discourse on Proportion." Dürer also worked hard to improve the social status of artists, and the fact that he painted many self-portraits shows his great pride in his art. Works such as " Melencolia I " are imbued with deep spirituality and allegory, and their interpretation is still much debated today.

Albrecht Dürer's influence and later recognition

Albrecht Dürer had a great influence on artists of his time with his outstanding technique and artistry. His prints, in particular, were circulated throughout Europe and studied by many artists. He also left a great legacy for future generations as a theorist. Today, Dürer is highly regarded around the world as one of the greatest artists Germany has ever produced. Keywords such as " Northern Renaissance ," " prints ," " woodblock prints ," " copperplate engravings ," " Nuremberg ," " Maximilian I ," and " self-portraits " are important elements in understanding Dürer's art. His works and achievements continue to deeply impress people across the ages.