Note: This is in no way a comprehensive essay on Durer. It is rather a homage to one of the old school Masters that have inspired me. A layman's take so to speak to acknowledge his work. Nor is it biographical in nature.
You could probably write volumes on Albrecht Durer and only skim the surface. Print maker, publisher, painter, engraver, author and artist. He was one of the most important figures in the Northern Renaissance, the offshoot of the Italian Renaissance that made it’s way into Germany.
Durer is probably best known for his Biblical illustrations of Revelations, such as “The Four Riders of the Apocalypse”. His apocalyptic illustrations (woodcuts) are literal renditions of the descriptions of the beast, the dragon and other metaphors used to describe events that transpire in the book and often have found their way into mainstream.
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| The Four Horsemen |
Yet the woodcuts, though numerous, represent only a fraction of his work, it’s his later meticulous engravings, highly detailed oils and the use of the water color medium are what elevate Durer and made him one of the primary figures that came out of the Northern Renaissance.
If anyone asked me what I would chose personally as a piece of art that I would chose that either inspired me or captured my imagination to hang on my wall, for me there would be no hesitation. When I first saw Durer’s “The Knight, Death and the Devil”, I saw everything I wanted to be able to convey in pen and ink. The piece is like an ultimate goal, one I know I will never achieve, but will always be there to remind me what could be the end result of progress. Not only using lines to convey form, but texture and space. “The Knight, Death and the Devil” is ink in prose, deep prose, but prose for me still.
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| Knight, Death and the Devil |
Another would be Durer’s “Melancholia” done the year of his Mother’s death. An angel with an architects compass, broken musical instruments, lingering in thoughtful repose with a cherub against a surreal and distant landscape riddled with visual metaphors. Like “Knight, Death and the Devil”, Durer’s pieces are left to interpretation and many papers have been written on the subtle meanings these pieces convey. Durer seemed to me, conveyed not only remarkable draftsmanship in his engravings, but also was sharing a mystery.
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| Melencholia |
And yet there’s more. It would be easy to pigeon hole Durer into being a graphic artist of his time, his body of works gaining the most attention being his woodcuts and engravings, but one would be ignoring his body of works in oils and watercolors. For instance his series of self portraits, the one I consider the most remarkable below. His attention to detail and use of color equals his mastery of the line work of his engravings. The self portrait below was even used in the film, Francis Ford Coppola’s “Bram Stoker’s Dracula”...though with Gary Oldman’s visage painted over Durer’s face.
I also found this image where the geometric layout of the self portrait shows either a well executed composition or that Durer’s eye was so unerring in his layouts. Either chance or executed with precision, well you can judge for yourself.
Durer was also one of the first artist to take watercolor seriously. Primarily watercolor was used to do thumbnails and sketches. Durer instead used watercolor with a dry brush technique to capture nature in detailed pieces giving watercolor legitimacy.
And one of the most popular pieces of Durer that everyone has seen and probably have no idea was his, is the “Praying Hands”.
Durer also authored four books on anatomy, measurement and fortification as well as theological works that were sympathetic to Martin Luther.
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