Albrecht Dürer

Albrecht Dürer was a painter, printmaker, and art theorist, widely regarded as the greatest and most versatile artist of the Northern Renaissance. Active in Nuremberg from the 1490s, Dürer excelled in all varieties of print media: woodcut, engraving, and etching. His considerable output and technical virtuosity revolutionized the craft of printmaking, effectively raising the medium to the level of an independent art form. Upon completing his apprenticeship, Dürer undertook his formative Wanderjahre, a multi-year trip to different artistic centers in Europe during which he worked as a journeyman under other master craftsmen, continuing to develop his skills. Notably, Dürer’s travels brought him to Venice, where he studied examples of Italian Renaissance art, along with its classical heritage and theoretical concerns. During his own lifetime, Dürer’s work was immensely popular north and south of the Alps, and his printed oeuvre helped establish his legacy and influence on early modern European art.