Albrecht Durer

His work of printmaking acts as an inspiration for works of Raphael, Titian and Parmigianino. His engraving works also inspired Lucas van Leyden. Duer’s study of human proportions and the use of transformation inspired D’Arcy Thompson for his book, “On Growth and Form”.

Born in Nuremberg, Holy Roman Empire, Durer was one of the eighteen children of Albrecht Durer the Elder, a goldsmith and Barbaa Holfer. His family came from Hungary to Nuremberg in 1455.

He got his early education at Lateinschule in St Lorenz. Later, he learnt the trade of goldsmithing & drawing from his father. By the age of 13, he showed his skill in painting by creating a self portrait.

In 1486, he started his apprenticeship of painting and woodcut designing under Michael Wolgemut, a leading artist of Nuremberg with a large workshop producing a variety of works of art. He remained an apprentice for four years.

After completing his apprenticeship, he followed a common German custom ‘Wanderjahre’, a tradition of setting out on travel for several years after finishing one’s apprenticeship as a craftsman.

In 1494, he went to Italy to learn more advanced artistic form. During his travel over the Alps, he created some watercolor sketches. Here, he learnt about the works of Giovanni Bellini.

After returning to Nuremberg in 1495, he started his workshop. Within the next five years, his painting style reflected Italian influences. His works on woodcut prints like “The Men’s Bath House”, created in 1496, mirrors his religious interest.

In the same year, he painted the “Seven Sorrows Polyptych”. The special features of his woodcut prints are their large size, fine cut and complex design. All of these works maintain a balance in their composition.

In 1498, he created a series of woodcuts titled “Apocalypse”. In the same year, he worked on the engraving of “St. Michael Fighting the Dragon”. He also created the engraving on the Holy family and saints in this year.

He completed “Adam and Eve”, an oil-on-painting, in 1507. This piece of work reflects the influence of Italian art. Through this painting, he represented the ideal human figures in the form of Adam and Eve.

He created the engraving of “Knight, Death and the Devil” in 1513. This work represents an image of an armored Christian Knight and his dog riding through a narrow passage flanked by a devil and the figure of death on a pale horse.