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Dürer

Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528) was a German painter, printmaker, and theorist of the Northern Renaissance. Born in Nuremberg, he established himself through precise drawing and innovative printmaking, becoming one of the era's most influential artists. Dürer's woodcuts and engravings helped disseminate Renaissance ideas across Europe, and his drawings range from meticulous studies to complex allegorical compositions.

Dürer traveled to Italy in the mid-1490s, absorbing Italian Renaissance currents and bringing back methods of

Dürer was part of a circle surrounding Willibald Pirckheimer, a humanist and patron. He produced theoretical

Dürer died in his native Nuremberg in 1528. His work established a standard for precision in drawing

linear
perspective,
classical
proportion,
and
human
anatomy
to
the
German-speaking
lands.
He
worked
in
painting,
though
his
greatest
influence
came
from
his
engravings
and
woodcuts.
Notable
prints
include
The
Apocalypse
(a
suite
of
15
woodcuts,
produced
over
many
years),
Melencolia
I
(a
solitary
figure
with
symbolic
tools),
Knight,
Death
and
the
Devil
(a
pilgrimage
motif),
Saint
Jerome
in
His
Study,
and
Adam
and
Eve.
His
painting
The
Great
Piece
of
Turf
and
various
altarpieces
also
reflect
his
careful
observation
of
nature
and
detail.
writings
on
geometry,
proportion,
and
art,
culminating
in
Vier
Bücher
von
menschlicher
Proportion
(The
Four
Books
on
Human
Proportion),
published
in
1528,
and
contributing
to
the
articulation
of
Renaissance
principles
in
the
German
arts.
and
printmaking,
influencing
generations
of
artists
in
Germany
and
beyond,
and
he
remains
a
central
figure
in
the
study
of
Northern
Renaissance
art.