Albrecht Dürer is considered to be the greatest German painter and printmaker. His paintings used many of the techniques of the Renaissance, while his woodcuts and engravings, which he was probably most famous for, retained the Gothic influence of the Middle Ages.
Fig 5.13 Self-portrait drawn by Dürer, aged 13 Fig 5.14 Adoration of the Magi Early Life
Dürer was born in Nuremberg to a Hungarian father and a German mother. His father was a goldsmith and Dürer began an apprenticeship in his father’s jewellery shop. He showed great skill at drawing, and drew a remarkable self- portrait when he was just 13 years of age.
His father recognised his ability and sent him to be trained by painter and woodcut illustrator Michael Wolgemot. After three years of training, Dürer travelled around Europe, visiting the Netherlands, Alsace and Basel in Switzerland. He returned and settled in Nuremberg in 1494 although he still travelled to other countries such as Italy. During these visits, Dürer was heavily influenced by Renaissance artistic techniques. He became interested in human anatomy and form (shape) and in the use of perspective and landscapes in the background. Examples of these techniques can be seen in the Adoration of the Magi (1504).