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| | Albrecht Durer (German Albrecht Durer, May 21, 1471, Nuremberg — April 6, 1528, Nuremberg) — German painter and graphic artist, one of the greatest masters of West European Renaissance art.
Durer was born on May 21, 1471 in Nuremberg in a goldsmith's family, who migrated to German city Nuremberg from Hungary in middle of XVth century. The family comprised of 18 children, of which the future great artist was third child and second son. His father, Albrecht Durer Senior was a goldsmith. In the beginning, father wanted his son to pursue career as goldsmith but soon understood that his son had artistic talent. At the age of 15 years, Albrecht joined a workshop of leading Nuremberg artist, of that time, Michael Wolgemut. There, Durer not only mastered painting but also engraving on tree and copper. According to tradition, study was completed in 1490 after traveling — for four years, the young man visited a number of cities in Germany, Switzerland and Netherlands and continued improving in fine arts and materials processing.
In 1494, Durer returned back to Nuremberg and soon got married. Then, in the same year, he travelled to Italy, where Durer gets a chance to get acquainted with creativity of Mantegna, Antonio Pollaiuolo, Lorenzo di Credi and other artists. In 1495, Durer once again returned back to native city and within next ten years, creates considerable portion of his engravings, which now have become popular.
In 1505, Durer once again travels to Italy.
In 1520, artist undertakes travel to Netherlands, where he falls victim of unknown disease, tormented him till the end of Durer’s life. Durer died on April 6, 1528 in his native place, Nuremberg.
Durer created magic square, first in Europe, which is represented on his engraving "Melencolia” (See Square of Albrecht Durer).
First of popular self-portraits of Durer was made at the age of 13 (Portrait made with silver pencil).
Stately and courageous, originally humanistic image of person of difficult epoch was created in the creative work of Durer. "Self-portrait" (1500. Old picture gallery, Munich) occupies a special place not only in German but also in all European art, reflecting depth and inconsistency of creative consciousness, standing on the verge of two epochs. By representing himself strictly in frontal pose, Durer used compositional scheme, which medieval artists used for image of Christ. For him, it had special meaning: person, according to the author, should remind the Savior not only by external appearance shape but also in figurative, higher sense — readiness to burden and carry the "cross", entrusted upon him in earthly life. Deep religious consciousness appears in this "equalization" of himself with Christ but not haughty arrogance: Durer perceives his incomparable artistic gift (almost on threshold of thirty years) as favour of the God and his reciprocal duty before the Creator, who has bestowed with highest ability “to create world” over again— with brush and tool.
In this self-portrait, artist tried to connect old system of proportions with new Renaissance doctrine about proportions of human body. Aspiring to overcome the convention of old art, Durer was the first of German artists, who was master of advanced art achievements of Renaissance Italy. Like Leonardo, he personified type of artist-scientist, characteristic for the Renaissance, by relating rational, scientific knowledge of real world with its deep philosophical perception and transforming, dynamic, passionate imagination of the artist.
Since Durer died before formal registration of Protestant confessions, it is difficult to authentically say that he became follower of Reformations, however, his engravings of that period — particularly some variants "Last Supper" obviously indicate his keen interest to the ideas, propagandised by Martin Luther and particularly communion for laymen not only bread but wine.
Durer was the first German artist who began to work simultaneously in both engraving forms— on wood and copper. He achieved extraordinary expressiveness in engraving on wood, reforming traditional working manner and using working methods, which were developed for engraving on metal. At the end of nineties, Durer created number of magnificent xylographs, including one of his masterpieces —series of engravings on wood "Apocalypse" (1498), being successful combination of post-Gothic art language and stylistics of Italian Revival. In 1513-1514, Durer created three graphic sheets, which became history of art under the name “Master engravings”): “Knight, Death and Devil”, “Saint Jerome in cell” and "Melancholia". “Adam & Eve” (1504) was considered masterpiece of tool engraving on metal in the works of Durer. |
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May 21 is the 537th birthday of Albrecht Durer - the most famous German painter and printmaker. He became famous in his twenties for his prints and paintings, which finally made him the greatest artist of the Renaissance in Northern Europe. Durer came from a family of eighteen children, his father was a goldsmith. The name "Durer" is derived from "Thurer" which means doormaker. 
