Albrecht Durer was a painter from Nuremburg, Germany , and son of the goldsmith Albrecht Durer the Elder. He was also a very accomplished printmaker and established his name in his twenties through this profession, regarded as the greatest artist in Northern Renaissance ever since, and is renowned today for his works in self portraiture. With such great fame, we know much about Durer today because many though his autobiographical writings and many works of surviving art. Throughout his paintings, we see the reflection of the Italian Renaissance style and for this blog, I have chosen his one of his earliest self portraits; The Portrait of the Artist Holding a Thistle.
In 1493, Albrecht Durer created this painting for his fiancé while he was away for a guild tour. The Portrait of the Artist Holding a Thistle was painted in the classic pose; with three quarters of his upper body being showed with him at a facing the viewer at a slight angle. It is said that this painting could possibly be a betrothal painting. Durer has depicted himself in the act of giving a thistle, and it is said that this medicinal plant is in fact an aphrodisiac and for this reason it is seen as an oath of faithfulness for his fiancé Agnes Frey. The inscription reads “Things happen to me as it is written on high," and lead others to believe that the thistles were instead a reference to the thorns on Christ’s head. When he returned at the end of May, 1494, he and Agnes Frey were married. . This painting was significant for the time for that this was one of the very first independent self portraits in Western painting.
Here he has depicted himself in very expensive and sophisticated clothing in much detail. We see each ruffle of his white tunic, each one giving a small shadow, revealing his skill and knowledge in the way light plays. The large and ostentatious gown he wears almost seems to flaunt his wealth and fame. Looking closely, one can even see the stitching of the garment and the meticulous work put into the shades from light to dark. His face is in great detail, we can see the hints of muscles and facial lines to the smallest feature and his neck reveals the soft changes in light though its boney ridges.
As mentioned, Albrecht Durer was more than a painter, but a very celebrated printmaker and he alone made printmaking an art form. Durer elevated the way printmaking was performed and “expanded it’s tonal and dramatic range.” He traveled to Italy quite a few times and was engaged not only by the artistic practices, but the theoretical interests. Here he developed a new interest in the human form; which were reflected in his studies back home and showed his interest in humanism.
During the later years of Durer’s life, his health started to decline, and he focused mostly on theoretic and scientific writings until he died in 1528 and buried amongst his country’s most influential artists.
I really enjoyed learning about Albrecht Durer. He kind of hit this perfect storm where he grew up in Germany and was influenced by the art there, traveled to Italy at the back end of the renaissance, where was able to see and learn from the art created there. He saw the potential of print making and circulation, and trademarked his work to elevate his name as an individual. And on top of it all, the dude is incredibly talented, knew it and showed it. I think the path he blazed for what people now think of as an "artist" and the potential for others to follow is very impressive.
ReplyDeleteI think Durer is very interesting because he "transforms" his appearance to make him look wealthy or more powerful. I agree with you, he definitely has his own mind and figurative forms. Durer is definitely a great artist in his own way, which is why he is so famous! I enjoyed reading your post!
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