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Biography of Albrecht Dürer. School encyclopedia Dürer artist's work

Details Category: Fine arts and architecture of the Renaissance (Renaissance) Posted on 26.12.2016 17:45 Views: 3341

Albrecht Dürer is a multifaceted master, a true universal person, who is considered the "Northern Leonardo da Vinci".

He distinguished himself in painting, drawing, engraving, bookplate, stained glass. Dürer gained fame as a mathematician (above all, 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 a compass and ruler", intended primarily for artists. In the last years of his life, Albrecht Dürer paid much attention to the improvement of defensive fortifications, which was caused by the development of firearms.
In the field of printed graphics, Dürer also knew no equal - he was recognized as a master of the European level in the field of woodcuts.
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 Hungarian jeweler 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, nee Holper, the artist's mother. German National Museum (Nuremberg)

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

Initially, the Dürers rented half of the house from the lawyer and diplomat Johann Pirckheimer. His son, Johann Willibald, became one of the most enlightened people in Germany, Dürer was friends with him all his life.
Albrecht attended a Latin school. Jewelry did not attract him, he chose painting. At the age of 15, Albrecht entered the studio of the famous Nuremberg artist of that time, Michael Wolgemuth. There he also mastered wood engraving.

Trips

In 1490, Durer's travels began, the purpose of which was to acquire skills from the masters of Germany and other countries: Switzerland, the Netherlands. In Alsace, he mastered the technique of engraving on copper with Ludwig Schongauer. In Basel he worked with Georg Schongauer to develop a new style of book illustration. 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. Dürer

In Strasbourg, A. Durer created his "Self-Portrait with a Thistle" (1493) and sent it to his native city.

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

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

With 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 because of the difference in characters and views of the spouses. They didn't have children.
In 1494 Dürer went to Italy. And in 1495 he opened his own workshop in Nuremberg and for the next 10 years he was engaged in engraving. Later he was engaged in engraving on copper. 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 fifteenth century the artist created several pictorial 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 the artists of the Venetian School, and this influenced his painting style. The paintings of Giovanni Bellini made a special impression on him.
Then the artist visited Bologna, Padua, Rome.

Dürer House Museum

Returning to Nuremberg, Dürer bought a house in Zisselgasse, currently the Dürer House Museum.
By order of the Nuremberg merchant Matthias Landauer, he painted the altar "Adoration of the Holy Trinity".

Altar of Landauer (1511). Museum of Art History (Vienna)

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

A. Durer "Portrait of Maximilian I"

Dürer begins to work on his orders: he performs the Arc de Triomphe, is engaged in monumental woodcuts (3.5 m x 3 m), made up of prints from 192 boards. The grandiose composition in honor of Maximilian was intended to decorate the wall. The ancient Roman triumphal arches served as a model for it. In 1513, together with other artists, he took part in the illustration (pen drawings) of one of the five copies of the Emperor Maximilian's Prayer Book.

Page from the Prayer Book

In 1520 the artist traveled to the Netherlands with his wife. Here he worked in the genre of graphic portraiture, met with local masters and helped them work on the triumphal arch for the solemn entry of Emperor Charles. In the Netherlands, Dürer, a 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, payment of all his taxes. But in 1521 the Dürers 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 "Four Apostles", which he presented to the City Council in 1526. This was his last work. Back in the Netherlands, Dürer fell ill with an unknown disease - perhaps it was malaria. He suffered from attacks of this disease until the end of his life. Until the last days, Dürer was preparing his theoretical treatise on proportions for publication. Albrecht Dürer died on April 6, 1528 in his native Nuremberg.

Artistic work of Albrecht Dürer

Painting

Dürer dreamed of painting since childhood. His paintings are distinguished by non-standard thought, 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)

Durer in this picture depicted a plot from the Gospel, which tells how Joseph, Mary and 12-year-old Jesus arrived in Jerusalem for the celebration of Easter. When it was time to return home, Jesus stayed in Jerusalem. For three days, worried parents searched for him and, finally, they found him in the temple in Jerusalem, having a debate with learned sages: “Three days later 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 a close-up of the faces of the wise men and Christ, 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, testifying to "nervousness and embarrassment." This sage has a bright caricature appearance, which gave rise to multiple interpretations. There is an assumption that Dürer illustrated the theory of four temperaments that underlie human characters.
He created many altarpieces.

Heller Altarpiece (1507-1511)

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

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

The picture (diptych) consists of two vertical narrow wings fastened together. On the left wing are depicted the apostles John and Peter, on the right - Mark and Paul. The apostles are in the same space, stand on the same floor. Compositionally and spiritually they are one. Dürer creates an artistic example of human characters and minds aspiring to the high spheres of the spirit - this is the master's idea of such a person as he should be.
Dürer presented the painting to his native Nuremberg, it was 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 the portrait and continued the tradition that had developed in the painting of Northern Europe: the model was depicted in a three-quarter spread against the backdrop of a landscape, all the details were worked out very carefully and realistically.
The formation of the North European self-portrait as an independent genre is associated with the name of Dürer.

Drawings by Albrecht Dürer

Durer, as an artist, most revealed in the drawing, because. his pictorial work mainly depended on the arbitrariness of customers, and in the drawing he was free.
About a thousand drawings by Durer have survived, including his student work. The artist's drawings depict landscapes, portraits, sketches of people, animals and plants. Animalistic and botanical drawings are marked by observation, fidelity in the transmission of the natural forms of the image object.

A. Durer "Hare". Paper, watercolor, gouache, whitewash. 25.1 x 22.6 cm. Albertina Gallery (Vienna)

Graphics by Albrecht Dürer

After the publication of the Apocalypse, Dürer became famous in Europe as a master engraver.
Albrecht Dürer created 374 woodcuts and 83 copper engravings. Printed graphics became his main source of income. In addition to traditional biblical and new antique ones, Dürer also developed everyday subjects in engraving.
Dürer's engraving "Adam and Eve" (1504) is 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 "Master Engravings": "Knight, Death and the Devil", "Saint Jerome in the Cell" and "Melancholia".

A. Durer "Melancholy". Copper, engraving. 23.9 x 18.8 cm State Hermitage Museum (Petersburg)

"Melancholia" is considered one of the most mysterious works of Dürer, it stands out for the complexity and non-obviousness of the idea, the brightness of symbols and allegories.

Bookplates by Albrecht Dürer

Bookplate- a bookmark certifying the owner of the book. The ex-libris 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 the first bookplate for his friend, writer and bibliophile Willibald Pirckheimer. The artist made his own ex-libris with the coat of arms of the Dürers in 1523. The image of an open door on the shield indicates the name "Dürer". Eagle wings and black skin of a man are symbols of South German heraldry; they were also used by the Nuremberg family of Dürer's mother.

Coat of arms of Albrecht Dürer (1523)

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

Dürer's monogram

Stained glass windows by Albrecht Dürer

It is not known whether Dürer was personally involved in glass work, but many of them were created according to his sketches.

Moses Receiving the Ten Commandments. Stained glass window after a drawing by Albrecht Dürer for the Church of St. Jacob in Straubing (1500)

Albrecht Dürer was a famous mathematician (geometer), he made a magic square: he arranged the numbers from 1 to 16 so that the sum 34 is obtained not only when they are added vertically, horizontally and diagonally, but also in all four quarters, in the central quadrangle 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")

Albrecht Dürer (German: Albrecht Dürer, May 21, 1471, Nuremberg - April 6, 1528, Nuremberg) was a German painter and graphic artist, one of the greatest masters of the Western European Renaissance. Recognized as the largest European master of woodcuts, 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 advocated the need for the versatile development of artists. Founder of comparative anthropometry. In addition to the above, he left a noticeable mark in the military engineering art. The first European artist to write an autobiography.

The future artist was born on May 21, 1471 in Nuremberg, in the family of the jeweler Albrecht Dürer, who arrived in this German city from Hungary in the middle of the 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 Durer children were alive - Albrecht, Hans and Endres.

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

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

From 1477 Albrecht attended a Latin school. At first, the father attracted his son to work in a jewelry workshop. However, Albrecht wished to paint. The elder Dürer, despite regretting the time spent on teaching his son, yielded to his requests, and at the age of 15 Albrecht was sent to the workshop of the leading Nuremberg artist of that time, Michael Wolgemuth. Dürer himself spoke about this in the “Family Chronicle”, created by him at the end of his life, one of the first autobiographies in the history of Western European art.

Wolgemut Dürer mastered not only painting, but also engraving on wood. Wolgemuth, together with his stepson Wilhelm Pleidenwurff, 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.

According to tradition, studies in 1490 ended with wanderings (German: Wanderjahre), during which the apprentice learned skills from masters from other areas. Dürer's student journey continued until 1494. His exact itinerary is unknown, he traveled to a number of cities in Germany, Switzerland and (according to some researchers) the Netherlands, continuing to improve in the fine 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 renowned copper engraver. Schongauer died on February 2, 1491. Dürer was received with honor by the brothers of the deceased (Kaspar, 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 engraving on copper, 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 the fourth brother of Martin Schongauer, Georg. Around this period, in books printed in Basel, illustrations appeared in a new, previously uncharacteristic style. The author of these illustrations received from art historians the name of "Master Bergman Printing House". After the discovery of the engraved board of the title page for the edition of the Letters of St. Jerome” of 1492, signed on the back with the name of Dürer, the works of the “printing master Bergman” were attributed to him. In Basel, Dürer may have taken part in the creation of the famous woodcuts for the "Ship of Fools" by Sebastian Brant (first edition in 1494, 75 engravings for this book are attributed to the artist). It is believed that in Basel Dürer worked on engravings for the publication of Terence's comedies (left unfinished, only 13 out of 139 boards were cut off), The Knight of Turn (45 engravings) and a prayer book (20 engravings). (However, the art critic A. Sidorov believed that it was not worth attributing all the Basel engravings to Dürer).

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The content of the formidable raging era, its ideological achievements are deeply reflected in the work of Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528), the great thinker of Germany. Dürer generalized the realistic quests of his predecessors and contemporaries into an integral system of artistic views and thus laid the foundation for a new stage in the development of German art. The inquisitiveness of the mind, the versatility of interests, striving for the new, the courage of big undertakings, the intensity and breadth of perception of life put him next to the great Italians - Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael and Michelangelo. Attraction to the ideal harmonious beauty of the world, the desire to find a way to the knowledge of the rational laws of nature permeate his work.

Excitedly perceiving the turbulent events of our time, Dürer was aware of its inconsistency with classical ideals and created deeply national typical images of the people of his country, full of inner strength and doubt, strong-willed energy and thought. Observing reality, Dürer became convinced that living nature cannot fit into classical formulas. Dürer's work strikes with contrasts. It combines rationality and feeling, craving for the monumental and attachment to details. Living on the verge of two eras, Dürer reflected in his art the tragedy of social crises that ended in the defeat of the peasant war.

Dürer was born in Nuremberg. From an early age in the workshop of his father, a goldsmith, then with the artist Wolgemut and during the years of wandering around the German lands, Dürer absorbed the heritage of German art of the 15th century, but nature became his main teacher. For Dürer, as for Leonardo, art was a form of knowledge. Hence his extraordinary interest in nature, in everything that the artist encountered during his travels. Dürer was the first in Germany to draw a naked body from nature. He created landscape watercolors, depicted animals, draperies, flowers, etc. His impeccably accurate drawings are imbued with a touching and loving attitude to details. Durer studied mathematics, perspective, anatomy, was interested in natural science and the humanities. Twice Dürer traveled to Italy and created a number of scientific treatises (Guide to Measurement, 1525; Four Books on Human Proportions, 1528).

The artist's innovative aspirations manifested themselves during his travels to southern Germany, Switzerland and Venice. Upon returning to Nuremberg, where Dürer founded his workshop, his many-sided activities unfolded. He painted portraits, laid the foundations of the German landscape, transformed traditional biblical and gospel stories, putting new life content into them. Engraving attracted the artist's special attention: first, woodcuts, and then engraving on copper. Dürer expanded the subject of graphics, attracting literary and everyday subjects. Images of peasants, townspeople, burghers, knights, etc. appeared in his engravings. The highest creative achievement of these years is a series of woodcuts of sixteen sheets on the theme of the Apocalypse (1498), popular among the German masses of that time. In this series, Durer intertwined medieval religious views with disturbing moods caused by social events of our time. The terrible scenes of death and punishment described in the Apocalypse acquired topical meaning in pre-revolutionary Germany. Dürer introduced many subtle observations of nature and life into engravings: architecture, costumes, types, landscapes of modern Germany. The breadth of the world, its pathetic perception, the tension of forms and movements, characteristic of Dürer's engravings, were not known to the German art of the 15th century; at the same time, the restless spirit of late German Gothic lives in most of Dürer's sheets. The complexity and complexity of the compositions, the stormy ornamentation of the lines, the dynamism of the rhythms seem to be in tune with the mystical exaltation of the visions of the Apocalypse.

Terrible pathos emanates from the sheet "Four Horsemen". In terms of the all-destroying force of impulse and gloomy expression, this composition has no equal in the German art of that time. Death, judgment, war and pestilence rush furiously over the earth, destroying everything in its path. Sharp gestures, movements, gloomy faces are filled with rage and anger. All nature is in turmoil. Clouds, draperies of clothes, manes of horses flutter violently, tremble, forming a complex rhythmic pattern of calligraphic lines. People of different ages and classes are horrified.

In the sheet “The Battle of the Archangel Michael with the Dragon”, the pathos of a fierce battle is emphasized by the contrasts of light and shadow, the restless intermittent rhythm of the lines. In the heroic image of a young man with an inspired and determined face, in a landscape illuminated by the sun with its boundless expanses, faith in the victory of a bright beginning is expressed. Using the xylography technique familiar to those times, Dürer enhanced its expressiveness by introducing some techniques of engraving on copper. The previously dominant sharp outline of the drawing, weakly filled with parallel hatching, he replaced with a more flexible drawing, filled with either a thickening or thinning line, introduced strokes that fit the shape, applied cross lines that gave deep shadows.

In 1500, a turning point occurred in the work of Dürer. The pathos and drama of the early works were replaced by balance and harmony. The role of a calm narrative, imbued with lyrical experiences, has increased (the cycle "The Life of Mary"). The artist studied proportions, worked on the problem of depicting a naked body. In the engraving on copper "Adam and Eve" (1504), Dürer sought to embody the classical ideal of beauty. The volume of the rounded, almost sculptural form is emphasized by rounded strokes, as it were, sliding across the surface across the structure of the form. The picturesquely interpreted forest landscape organically includes figures of people and animals embodying various symbols.

The same searches are also distinguished by the picturesque "Self-Portrait" (1500, Munich, Alte Pinakothek), where Dürer transforms his image through the prism of the classical ideal, applies the principles of classical composition. At the same time, he is looking for here an expression of deep moral perfection - the traits of a preacher who calls for self-knowledge. The free composition of early self-portraits was replaced by frontal, static, strictly measured proportions, bright colors - muted brownish color. Individual traits are somewhat idealized. But the intense look, the waves of restlessly writhing hair, the nervous gesture of the hand reveal the anxiety of the mood. The Renaissance clarity of ideas about the people of this era coexisted with an excited perception of the world. Acquainted during the second trip to Venice (1506-1507) with the picturesque culture of the Venetians, Durer developed a sense of color, turned to solving the problem of light. With "the highest diligence" he worked in the technique of oil painting, using five or six, and sometimes eight pads on the underpainting, executed in grisaille.

In the two-meter altar composition "The Feast of the Rosary" (1506, Prague, National Gallery), Dürer decided on a religious theme, in essence, as a group portrait of numerous donors of various classes, depicted against the backdrop of a sunny mountain landscape near the throne of Mary. The harmonious balance of the whole, the strict pyramid of figures in the central part bring the composition closer to the works of the High Renaissance. The artist achieved an unusual softness of his pictorial manner, a richness of nuances of color, an impression of the airiness of the environment. In the "Portrait of a Woman" (1506, Berlin, State Museums), Dürer showed mastery of the art of reproducing the finest transitions of light and shade, bringing him closer to the painting of Giorgione. The image attracts with sincerity and richness of psychological shades.

The study of the works of Italian masters led Dürer to overcome the remnants of late Gothic art, but from the ideal classical images, he again turned to highly individual, full of drama. Three master engravings on copper appeared - "Knight, Death and the Devil" (1513), "Saint Jerome" (1514), "Melancholy" (1514), which mark the pinnacle of his work. In traditional plots full of symbols and allusions, Dürer generalized the idea of the humanists of that time about the various aspects of human spiritual activity. The engraving "Saint Jerome" reveals the ideal of a humanist who devoted himself to the comprehension of higher truths. In solving the theme, in everyday interpretation of the scientist's image, the leading role is played by the interior, transformed by the artist into an emotional poetic environment. The figure of Jerome, immersed in translations of sacred books, is the focus of compositional lines that subjugate many everyday details of the interior, protecting the scientist from the unrest and bustle of the world. Jerome's cell is not a gloomy ascetic refuge, but a modest room of 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. The rays of the sun bursting through the window fill the room with a quivering movement. The elusive play of light and shadow gives life to space, organically connects the forms of objects with it, inspires the environment, creates the impression of comfort. The stable horizontal lines of the composition emphasize the mood of peace.

The engraving "Knight, Death and the Devil" reveals the world of acutely conflicting relations 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 to 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. Paying no attention to them, the rider resolutely follows the chosen path. In his stern appearance - the tension of the will, illuminated by the light of reason, the moral beauty of a person, faithful to duty, courageously confronting danger.

The idea of "Melancholia" has not yet been revealed, but the image of a powerful winged woman impresses with its significance and psychological depth. Woven from many semantic nuances, the most complex symbols and allusions, it awakens disturbing thoughts, associations, experiences.

Melancholy is the embodiment of a higher being, a genius endowed with intelligence, 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 searches. Among the numerous objects of the scientist's office and the carpenter's workshop, the winged Melancholia remains inactive. The gloomy cold sky, illuminated by the phosphorescent light of a comet and a rainbow, a bat flying over the bay - a harbinger of twilight and loneliness - enhance the tragedy of the image. But behind the deep thoughtfulness of Melancholia lies an intense creative thought, boldly penetrating the secrets of nature. The expression of the boundless power of the human spirit brings the image of Melancholia closer to the dramatic images of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, the tomb of the Medici. "Melancholia" belongs to the number of works that "threw the whole world in amazement" (Vasari).
Dürer's artistic language in copper engravings is subtle and varied. Durer used parallel and cross strokes, dotted lines. Thanks to the introduction of the drypoint technique (engraving "Saint Jerome"), he achieved amazing transparency of shadows, richness of halftone variations and a feeling of vibrating light. By 1515-1518, Durer's experiments in a new, then only emerging etching technique, belong.

A large place in the work of Dürer belongs to portraits, executed in drawing, engraving and painting. The artist emphasized the most essential characteristic features of the model. In the “Portrait of a Mother” (1514, Berlin, State Museums, Engraving Cabinet) executed in charcoal, in an asymmetrical senile face with emaciated features, traces of life's hardships and destruction are imprinted in the eyes. Tense curly expressive lines exacerbate the bright expressiveness of the image. Sketchy, in some places thick and black, in some places a light stroke gives the drawing a dynamic look.

In the 20s of the 16th century, the trends of the formidable and courageous era of the peasant wars and the Reformation became more noticeable in the art of Dürer. In his portraits were people of a mighty spirit, rebellious, aspiring to the future. In their posture - the tension of the cry, in their faces - the excitement of feelings and thoughts. Such are the strong-willed, filled with high spiritual impulses and anxiety, Bernhard von Resten (1521, Dresden, Art Gallery), the energetic Holzschuer (1526, Berlin-Dahlem, Art Gallery), “The Unknown Man in a Black Beret” (1524, Madrid, Prado) with the seal of indomitable passions in power. Durer's creative search was completed by The Four Apostles (1526, Munich, Alte Pinakothek). The images of the apostles: strong-willed, courageous, but gloomy, with an angry look of Paul, phlegmatic, slow Peter, philosophically contemplative, with a spiritualized face of John and excitedly active Mark are sharply individual, full of inner burning. At the same time, they embody the features of the advanced people of the era of the German Peasants' War, which "prophetically indicated the coming class battles." These are civic images of champions of truth. Sonorous color contrasts of clothes - light green, bright red, light blue, white - enhance the expression of images. Closing the mighty, life-size figures, calmly standing within the narrow two-meter doors, the artist achieves spiritual tension, an expression of restrained grandeur. This later work of Dürer surpasses in monumentality everything he had previously done in painting.

Dürer's work determined the leading trend in the art of the German Renaissance. His influence on contemporary artists was great; it penetrated even into Italy, into France. Simultaneously with Dürer and after him, a galaxy of major artists appeared. Among them were Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472–1553), who subtly feels the harmony of nature and man, and Matthias Gotthardt Neithardt, known as Mattpas Grunewald (1475–1528), endowed with great power of imagination, is associated with mystical folk teachings and the Gothic tradition. Dürer's work is imbued with the spirit of rebellion, desperate frenzy or jubilation, high intensity of feelings and painful expression of flashing, then fading, then fading, then flaming color and light.

The future father of the artist came to Germany from the small Hungarian village of Eytas 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 the goldsmith Jerome Holper. At that time, Barbara was only 15.

Portraits of the 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 survived to adulthood. He did not have his own children at all, like his two brothers Endres and Hans.

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

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

The creative and life path of Albrecht Dürer

Albrecht Durer 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. At the age of thirteen, he created his first self-portrait with 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 Dürer, 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 studio to study. With Wolgemuth, he studied both painting and wood engraving, helping to create stained glass windows and altarpieces. Upon graduation, 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 - in his so-called "wonderful years" of the formation of a young artist. During this time he visited such cities as Strasbourg, Colmar and Basel.

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

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

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 that, Albrecht returned to Nuremberg to marry. 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 Dürer's wife, My Agnes, 1494

Some time after the conclusion of the marriage, another trip followed 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 Pollaiolo. Also, Albrecht is impressed that in Italy, artists are no longer considered simple artisans, but have a higher status in society.

In 1495 Dürer sets out on his return journey. Along the way, he paints landscapes in watercolor.

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

For the next few years, his painting style reflects 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 of Albrecht Dürer from the period 1494-1505.

From 1505 until the middle of 1507 he once again visited Italy. Visited Bologna, Rome and Venice.

In 1509, Albrecht Dürer acquires a large house in Nuremberg and spends almost twenty years of his life there.

In July 1520, the artist travels 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 with other artists, gets acquainted with the greatest scientist Erasmus of Rotterdam. Dürer has long been famous and is received everywhere with respect and honors.

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 a trip to the Netherlands, Dürer catches a "wonderful disease", presumably malaria. He is tormented by seizures and one day he sends the doctor a drawing with his image, where he points to a painful place with his finger. The figure is accompanied by an explanation.

Engravings by Albrecht Dürer

Among his contemporaries, Albrecht Dürer makes a name for himself primarily in the creation of engravings. His virtuoso works are distinguished by their large size, fine and precise drawing, grasping of characters, and complex composition. Durer perfectly mastered the technique of engraving both on wood and on copper. From beginning to end, the master performs all the work on creating engravings himself, incl. carving with unprecedented detail and fine lines. In doing so, he uses tools made according to his own drawings. Makes numerous prints, circulations of which are widely distributed throughout Europe. So he became a publisher of his works. His engravings were widely known, very popular and sold well. Significantly strengthened his prestige a series of engravings "Apocalypse" in 1498 edition.

Dürer's masterpieces are recognized as "Master Engravings": in 1513 he cut out an engraving on copper "Knight, Death and the Devil", and in 1514 two whole ones: "St. Jerome in the Cell" and "Melancholy".

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

"Dürer's Rhinoceros", 1515

Albrecht Dürer's magic square

In 1514, as mentioned above, the master created the engraving "Melancholia" - one of his most mysterious works. The image is filled with a mass of symbolic details that still give room for interpretation.

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

Engraving "Melancholia" and Dürer's magic square,1514

Drawings and watercolors by Dürer

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, mountains are blue in the distance.

Drawhouse on the River Pegnitz, 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" right below the image of the animal.

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

Hands in supplication, 1508

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

Durer, proportions and nudity

Durer is fascinated by the desire to find the ideal proportions of the human figure. He carefully examines the naked bodies of people. In 1504 he creates an outstanding copper engraving "Adam and Eve". For the image of 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 picturesque diptych on the same subject.

He became the first German artist to depict naked people. A portrait of Dürer is kept in the Weimar Castle, in which he depicted himself as frankly as completely naked as possible.

Self-portrait of a naked Dürer, 1509

self-portraits

Albrecht Dürer painted self-portraits from boyhood to old age. Each of them has its own zest, and often innovation. The self-portrait, which shocked the contemporary public, was painted in 1500. On it, the 28-year-old Albrecht appears in a daring manner, because he resembles the image of Christ himself.

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

In addition, the portrait is written in full face. At that time, such a pose was used to write images of saints, and secular portraits in Northern Europe were created in a three-quarter turn of the model. Also in this portrait, the artist's ongoing search for ideal proportions can be traced.

The death of Albrecht Dürer and his memory

The artist died in his Nuremberg home on April 6, 1528, a month and a half before his 57th birthday. His departure 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 the Nuremberg cemetery of St. John. A friend of his life, the German humanist Willibald Pirkheimer wrote for the tombstone: "Under this hill lies what was mortal in Albrecht Dürer."

Gravestone of Albrecht Dürer

Since 1828, the Albrecht-Dürer-Haus Museum has been operating in the Dürer House.

Biography

Youth

Albrecht Dürer, the artist's father, came to Nuremberg from Hungary. He was a jeweler. At 40, he married 15-year-old Barbara Holper. The couple had 18 children, but only 4 children survived to adulthood. Among them was Albrecht the Younger, the future great artist, who was born on May 21, 1471.

Little Albrecht went to a Latin school, where he learned to read and write. At first, he learned the art of jewelry from his father. However, the boy showed a talent for drawing, and his father, reluctantly, sent him to study with the famous German artist Michael Wolgemut. There, the young man learned not only to paint, but also to make engravings.

At the end of his studies, in 1490, Dürer set off on the road to gain experience from other masters. For 4 years he visited Strasbourg, Basel, Colmar. During the trip, Albrecht studied with the sons of the famous engraver Martin Schongauer.

In 1493 Dürer marries Agnes Frey. It was a marriage of convenience, his wife Albrecht was picked up by his father, while his son was visiting Strasbourg. The marriage turned out to be childless and not entirely happy, but the couple lived together until the end. After his marriage, Albrecht Dürer was able to open his workshop.

Italy

For the first time, the German artist went to Italy in 1494. For about a year he lived in Venice, and visited Padua. There he first saw the work of Italian artists. Upon returning home, Albrecht Dürer became already a famous master. Especially great fame brought him engravings. After the death of his father in 1502, Albrecht takes care of his mother and brothers.

In 1505, the artist again travels to Italy to deal with local plagiarists who copy his engravings. In Venice, beloved by Albrecht, he lived for two years, studying the Venetian school of painting. Dürer was especially proud of his friendship with Giovanni Bellini. He also visited such cities as Rome, Bologna, Padua.

Patronage of Maximilian I

Upon returning from Italy, Dürer buys a large house, which has survived to this day. Now there is a museum of the artist.

At the same time, he is a member of the Great Nuremberg Council. The master works a lot on artistic commissions and engravings.

In 1512, Emperor Maximilian I took the artist under his patronage. Durer made several orders for him. Instead of paying for the work, the emperor appointed the artist an annual pension. It was to be paid by the city of Nuremberg at the expense of money transferred to the state treasury. However, after the death of Maximilian I in 1519, the city refused to pay Dürer's pension.

Trip to the Netherlands

The diary of Albrecht Dürer describes in detail the journey to the Netherlands, which he made with his wife in 1520-1521. During this trip, Dürer gets acquainted with the work of local artists. He was already quite famous, and he was warmly received everywhere, showing honors. In Antwerp, he was even offered to stay, promising money and a house. In the Netherlands, the master met Erasmus of Rotterdam. He is willingly hosted by local aristocrats, scientists, wealthy bourgeois.

Durer undertook such a long trip in order to confirm his rights to the pension of Charles V, who became the new emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. The artist attended his coronation in Aachen. Charles V granted Dürer's request. In 1521 the master returned home to his native Nuremberg.

In the Netherlands, Durer caught malaria. The disease tormented him for a long 7 years. The great artist died on April 6, 1528. He was 56 years old.

The legacy of Albrecht Dürer

Painting

In painting, Dürer was as versatile as in his other occupations. He painted altar images traditional for that time, biblical scenes, and portraits. Acquaintance with Italian masters had a great influence on the artist. This is especially noticeable in the paintings made directly in Venice. However, Dürer does not lose his originality. His work is a fusion of the German tradition and the humanistic ideals of the Italian Renaissance.

Altar images and paintings based on biblical subjects

The work of an artist of the 15th-16th centuries was unthinkable without Christian subjects. And Albrecht Dürer is no exception. He painted a number of Madonnas (“Madonna with a Pear”, “Nursing Madonna”, “Madonna with a Carnation”, “Madonna and Child with St. Anne”, etc.); several altar images (“Feast of the Rosary”, “Adoration of the Holy Trinity”, “Dresden Altar”, “Seven Sorrows of the Virgin Mary”, “Jabach Altar”, “Paumgartner Altar”, etc.), paintings on biblical themes (“Four Apostles” , "Saint Jerome", "Adam and Eve", "The Adoration of the Magi", "Jesus Among the Scribes", etc.).

The works of the "Italian period" of the master are distinguished by the brightness and transparency of colors, smooth lines. Their mood is lyrical and bright. These are such works as "The Feast of the Rosary", the diptych "Adam and Eve", "The Adoration of the Magi", "The Paumgartner Altarpiece", "Madonna with a Chizhik", "Jesus Among the Scribes".

The first in Germany, Dürer tries to create harmonious proportions based on the knowledge of antiquity. These attempts were embodied primarily in the diptych "Adam and Eve".

In more mature works, drama is already manifested, multi-figure compositions appear (“The Martyrdom of Ten Thousand Christians”, “The Adoration of the Holy Trinity”, “The Virgin and Child with St. Anna”).

Dürer has always been a God-fearing person. During the spread of the Reformation, he sympathized with the ideas of Martin Luther and Erasmus of Rotterdam, which to some extent affected his works.

Dürer presented his last large-scale work with the diptych "Four Apostles" to his native city. The monumental images of the apostles are shown as the ideal of Mind and Spirit.

self-portraits

In German painting, Dürer was a pioneer in the genre of self-portrait. In this art he surpassed his contemporaries. Self-portrait for Dürer was a way to hone his skills and leave a memory of himself to his descendants. Dürer is no longer a simple craftsman, as the artists of that time were considered. He is an intellectual, a master, a thinker, constantly striving for perfection. This is what he is trying to show in his images.

Albrecht Dürer painted his first self-portrait as a boy at the age of 13. He was very proud of this drawing, made with Italian silver pencil, which cannot be erased. This portrait was made before joining Michael Wolgemuth and shows the extent of little Albrecht's talent.

At the age of 22, the artist painted a self-portrait with a thistle in oil. It was the first independent self-portrait in European painting. Perhaps Albrecht painted the picture to give it to his future wife, Agnes. Dürer portrayed himself in smart clothes, his eyes turned to the viewer. On the canvas there is an inscription “My affairs are determined from above”, in the hands of a young man he holds a plant, the name of which in German sounds like “male fidelity”. On the other hand, the thistle was considered a symbol of the suffering of Christ. Perhaps this is how the artist wanted to show that he follows the will of his father.

After 5 years, Dürer creates his next self-portrait. During this time, the artist becomes a sought-after master, he is known far beyond the borders of his native country. He has his own workshop. He has already traveled to Italy. This is visible in the picture. Albrecht depicts himself against the backdrop of a landscape, in a fashionable Italian outfit, wearing expensive leather gloves. He is dressed like a nobleman. Confidently, with self-respect, he looks at the viewer.

Then, in 1500, Albrecht Dürer paints the next oil-filled self-portrait in fur clothes. Traditionally, models were depicted in a three-quarter view. In full face usually painted saints or royalty. Dürer was an innovator here too, depicting himself completely facing the viewer. Long hair, an expressive look, an almost blessing gesture of a graceful hand, sorting through the fur on rich clothes. Dürer consciously identifies himself with Jesus. At the same time, we know that the artist was a God-fearing Christian. The inscription on the canvas reads "I, Albrecht Dürer of Nuremberg, created myself with eternal colors at the age of 28." “He created himself with eternal colors” - these words indicate that the artist likens himself to the Creator, putting a person on the same level with God. Likeness to Christ is not pride, but the duty of the believer. Life must be lived with dignity, steadfastly enduring hardships and difficulties. This is the life credo of the master.

Often Dürer painted himself in his paintings. At that time, many artists used this technique. His images are known in the works: "The Feast of the Rosary", "Adoration of the Trinity", "Yabakh's Altar", "Torment of Ten Thousand Christians", "Geller's Altar".

1504 Self-portrait as a musician in the painting "Jabach's Altar"

Albrecht Dürer left behind many self-portraits. Not all of them have come down to us, but enough of them have survived to form an opinion about the image of the master at different points in his life.

portraits

Albrecht Dürer was a famous portrait painter of his time. Kings and patricians ordered their images to him. With pleasure, he also painted contemporaries - friends, customers, just strangers.

The first portraits he created were those of his parents. They date back to 1490. Dürer spoke of his parents as hardworking and God-fearing people, which is how he painted them.

Portraits for the artist were not only an opportunity to earn money, but also a chance to express themselves in society. The models of Albrecht Dürer were Emperor Maximilian I, Frederick III of Saxony, Christian II of Denmark. In addition to the greats of this world, Dürer painted merchants, representatives of the clergy, humanist scientists, etc.

Most often, the artist depicts his models to the waist, in a three-quarter turn. The gaze is turned to the viewer or to the side. The background is chosen so as not to distract from the person's face, very often it is an inconspicuous landscape.

In portraits, Dürer combines the detailing of traditional German painting and the focus on the inner world of a person, perceived from the Italians.

Only during his trip to the Netherlands, the artist painted about 100 portraits, which indicates his interest in depicting a person.

His most famous portraits are: a young Venetian, Maximilian I, Erasmus of Rotterdam, the emperors Charlemagne and Sigismund.

Drawings and engravings

Engravings

Dürer was best known as an unsurpassed engraver. The artist made engravings, both on copper and on wood. Dürer's woodcuts differed from his predecessors in craftsmanship and attention to detail. In 1498, the artist created a series of engravings "Apocalypse", which consisted of 15 sheets. This topic was very relevant by the end of the 15th century. Wars, epidemics, and famine created a premonition of the end of time among the people. "Apocalypse" brought Dürer unprecedented popularity, both at home and abroad.

This was followed by a series of engravings "Great Passion", "Life of Mary". The master places the biblical events in the contemporary space. People see familiar landscapes, dressed as they are, characters and compare everything that happens with themselves and their lives. Dürer strove to make art understandable for the common people, while raising the level of artistic skill to an unprecedented height.

His engravings were very popular, they even began to be forged, in connection with which Durer made his second trip to Venice.

In addition to series, the artist also works on individual drawings. In 1513 ‒ 1514, three of the most famous engravings were published: "Knight, Death and the Devil", "Saint Jerome in the Cell" and "Melancholia". These works are considered to be the crowning achievement of the artist as an engraver.

As an engraver, Dürer worked in different techniques and genres. After him, about 300 engravings remained. After the death of the master, his works were widely replicated, until the 18th century.

Drawing

Albrecht Dürer is also known as a talented draftsman. The graphic heritage of the master is impressive. With German scrupulousness, he kept all his drawings, thanks to which about 1000 of them have come down to us. The artist constantly trained, making sketches and sketches. Many of them have become masterpieces in their own right. So, for example, the drawings “Praying Hands”, “Portrait of a Mother”, “Rhinoceros”, etc. are widely known.

Dürer was the first among European artists to widely use watercolor technique. Watercolor has been known since the 15th century in Europe. These were dry paints that were ground into powder. It was mainly used for the design of books.

1495 View of Innsbruck

A series of landscapes made by Durer in watercolor is known: “View of the Arco”, “Castle in the Alps”, “Castle in Trento”, “View of Innsbruck”, “Courtyard of the old castle in Innsbruck”, etc.

Surprisingly detailed naturalistic drawings by Dürer: "Young hare", "Piece of turf", "Iris", "Violets", etc.

Scientific treatises and other written sources

Being a man of the Renaissance, Dürer left us not only a huge artistic heritage. With a scientific mindset, he was interested in mathematics, geometry, and architecture. We know that he was familiar with the works of Euclid, Vitruvius, Archimedes.

In 1515, the artist made engravings depicting the starry sky and a geographical map.

In 1507 Dürer began his work on the theory of painting. These were the first written treatises on the subject. We know the “Guide to measuring with a compass and ruler”, “Four books on proportions”. Unfortunately, the master was not able to complete the work on creating a complete guide for beginner artists.

Also, in 1527, he created the "Guide to the strengthening of cities, castles and gorges." The development of firearms, according to the artist, led to the need to build new fortifications.

In addition to scientific works, Dürer left diaries and letters, from which we know a lot about his life and contemporaries.

The Renaissance gave humanity several titans of the spirit - Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael. In Northern Europe, Albrecht Dürer can undoubtedly be attributed to such large-scale personalities. The legacy he left is amazing. In many areas of his activity, he became an innovator. He managed to combine in his work the humanism of the Italian Renaissance with the power and spiritual strength of German Gothic.

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