Albrecht Durer. Founder of German Renaissance art

“Nature endowed him with a body outstanding for its slimness and posture and completely consistent with his noble spirit... He had an expressive face, sparkling eyes, a noble nose,... a rather long neck, a very broad chest, a toned stomach, muscular thighs, strong and slender legs But you would say that you have never seen anything more graceful than his fingers. His speech was so sweet and witty that nothing upset his listeners more than its ending.”
Joachim Camerarius, contemporary of Dürer

A. Durer. Self-portrait. 1498

1498. Young and dressed in Italian fashion, already married by this time, the artist, returning from his trip to Italy, wrote on the wall under the window: “I wrote this from myself. I was 26 years old. Albrecht Durer."

Prado Museum, Madrid

Dürer placed his self-portraits in many paintings; he signed almost all of his works with his full name, and put a monogram on engravings and drawings. It was not customary in those days to sign even large works, because in Durer’s era the artist had the status of an artisan, an impersonal executor of orders. For Dürer, self-portraits were simply a natural way of self-expression and self-discovery. In the history of art, they became an important event: they laid the foundation for the existence of a new genre in painting and at the same time served as an impetus for a reassessment of the status of the artist.

These Dürer self-portraits intrigue and fascinate us to this day, for it is incomprehensible how a gloomy mystic, the author of “Apocalypse” and “Passion” with a handsome man and a fashionista, an author of treatises on art with a failed poet, and a fortification specialist who dreamed of coexisting in this man learn to dance?!

Meanwhile, Dürer’s horoscope, compiled by a contemporary astrologer, described the artist’s character as follows: he is prey, has exceptional talent as a painter, he is a successful lover, he is attracted to many women at once; frank and straightforward, loves weapons and willingly travels. He will never fall into poverty, but he will never get rich either. He will have only one wife.

Indeed, Dürer had only one wife, Agnes, he had his own decent house and he loved to travel. At the age of 18, he went on his first trip to Germany, then Italy and the Netherlands. He always hesitated to return to Nuremberg. “Oh, how I will freeze without the sun!” he wrote with bitter regret to his friend Wilibald Pirkheimer. Too many of Dürer’s disappointments were associated with his hometown, but unconditional recognition awaited him everywhere abroad. Rumor about the traveling Dürer preceded him, everywhere he was met by admirers with generous gifts, and Dürer made new acquaintances, painted coats of arms and painted portraits.

He was incredibly greedy for new impressions, many of which he described in his travel diaries, and then used in his painting. One day he rushed to Zealand to see a whale that had washed ashore. This journey ended in failure: Dürer never saw the whale, and he himself almost died during a storm. Another time he witnessed a festive procession in Antorf. Noisily accompanied by drummers and trumpeters, representatives of all classes and professions moved around the city, and behind them “many carts, disguised figures on ships and other structures” with wise men, prophets and saints. At the end followed a large dragon, led by St. Margarita with her maidens; she was extraordinarily beautiful. And in Brussels, Dürer was amazed by the huge bed he saw in the palace of Heinrich von Nassau, which served for the owner’s amusement, on which he used to lay up to fifty drunken guests at once. Everywhere Dürer looked for exotic models: he painted a black man, the “Negress Katherine,” a rhinoceros, a “monstrous pig,” or conjoined twins.
Dürer was absolutely delighted by beautiful things. But the biggest shock was the treasures taken by Cortes from the Golden Country of Mexico, which he saw in the Brussels palace. Among them were a sun made of pure gold, a whole fathom wide, the same moon made of pure silver, skillfully crafted weapons and other most skillful things. “And throughout my entire life I have never seen anything that pleased my heart as much as these things,” Dürer wrote in his diary.
The love for elegant things forced Dürer to constantly buy and exchange more and more new acquisitions for engravings, which he constantly sent to Nuremberg in whole chests. What was not among Dürer's trophies: Calcutta nuts, an ancient Turkish whip, parrots donated by the Portuguese merchant Rodrigo d'Amada, bull horns, an indispensable attribute of the still life "Vanitas vanitatis" skull, bowls made of maple wood, viewing glasses, dried cuttlefish, large fish scales, a monkey, a moose hoof, smoking pipes, a large tortoiseshell and a lot of other things. Dürer constantly brought into the house items that were useless for the household. But more than anything else, he, of course, valued professional accessories. He spared no expense in purchasing the best German, Dutch, Italian paper, goose and swan feathers, copper sheets, paints, brushes, silver pencils and engraving tools.

He loved giving gifts and, it seems, loved receiving them no less. The gifts that admirers sent to their idol sometimes reached unimaginable proportions: sometimes a hundred oysters, sometimes twelve jugs of wine. He gave away engravings and sometimes paintings, saved a variety of rarities for gifts to his friends and distributed tips, which, however, he very pedantically recorded in his travel diaries.
Another passion of Dürer was his love of clothes. He spent a lot of money on purchasing numerous fur coats, brocade, velvet and satin. He preferred snow-white embroidered vases with wide elbow-length sleeves and elegant headdresses in Italian fashion. He carefully thought out the color combinations and style of his clothes and selected accessories to go with them. Hairstyle was no less important for Dürer. The artist’s contemporary Lorenz Beheim complained in a letter about Durer’s delays in completing the commissioned portrait, mentioning “his boy” who terribly dislikes Durer’s beard (its daily curling and styling takes away the time needed to paint the portrait), and therefore “he would be better off shaving it off.” ".
But gloves for Dürer were not just a fashionable accessory designed to protect and decorate his hands, gloves were a symbol that marked his chosenness, because his hands were not just beautiful, they were the hands of a genius.
The hardness and precision of his hand were legendary. Once in Venice, the famous Italian Giovanni Bellini came to Dürer and asked: “I would like you to give me one of those brushes with which you paint your hair.” Then Albrecht, without hesitation at all, handed him various brushes, similar to those that Bellini used, and invited him to choose the one he liked best, or, if you like, take them all. But Bellini expected to see some special brushes. To convince Bellini otherwise, Albrecht grabbed one of the ordinary brushes and masterfully painted long wavy hair, such as women usually wear. Bellini watched him in amazement and subsequently admitted to many that he would not have believed anyone in the world who would have told about this if he had not seen it with his own eyes.
Dürer's contemporary, Christophe Scheirl, told how the maids more than once diligently tried to brush away the cobwebs painted by Dürer, and how Dürer's dog once licked the portrait, mistaking it for its owner.

Although Dürer considered himself a melancholic person, his disposition was not distinguished by “neither gloomy severity nor unbearable importance; and he did not at all believe that the sweetness and fun of life are incompatible with honor and decency,” as Joachim Camerari wrote. And indeed, Albrecht’s diaries are full of similar entries: “... spent 5 stivers on a swim and drank with friends,” “lost 7 stivers to Mr. Hans Ebner at the Mirror Tavern, etc. Dürer was a regular at the then fashionable public baths, where he found his sitters without spending additional time persuading them to pose. In one of his engravings (“Men’s Bath”), Dürer, according to researchers, depicted himself as a flutist.

Since childhood, Dürer loved music and even tried to play music himself on the lute. He was friends with the musicians and created several of their portraits. In his preface to the “Book of Painting,” Dürer recommended that young men learning the craft of an artist should be distracted by playing musical instruments for a short time “in order to warm the blood,” so that they would not become melancholy from excessive exercise. Dürer often portrayed himself as a musician.

Undoubtedly, Dürer was fascinated by his own reflection in the mirror and considered himself an attractive man, as he mentioned in letters to his friend Willibald Pirkheimer. And nothing speaks of this more eloquently than the self-portraits that Dürer created throughout his life. Even sick and emaciated, Dürer is always beautiful.

Throughout his life, Dürer obsessively tried to find a formula for beauty with a ruler and a compass. In his early treatises on painting, he wrote: “...what is beautiful - I don’t know that... No one except God can judge the beautiful.” But no matter how much time he spent searching for the ideal proportions of the human body, the formula of beauty was known to him in other ways, “inscrutable.” It was not in vain that he outlived fifteen of his brothers and sisters, and two plague epidemics did not touch him with their deadening breath, and Durer’s beauty was evidence of his chosenness and an expression of his own eternal desire for harmony.

The very first self-portrait of 13-year-old Dürer, which he drew with a silver pencil while being an apprentice to his father, the goldsmith Albrecht Dürer Sr. It says: “It was I who drew myself in the mirror in 1484, when I was still a child. Albrecht Durer"

3. "Self-portrait with a thistle" (in early New German this plant was called "marital fidelity") There is also a version of "Self-portrait with a holly" Dürer created in 1493 in Basel, where he worked in the workshop of an unknown artist. This is the first self-portrait painted in oil, but not on board, as was common among German artists at that time, but on parchment glued to canvas. He sent this portrait home, accompanying it with the couplet “My business is going on, as heaven ordered.” The self-portrait is in the Louvre

Self-portrait from 1500. The artist painted himself strictly from the front, which was only allowed in images of Christ. “I, Albrecht Durer, Nuremberger, painted myself in this way with eternal colors at the age of 28,” the inscription reads. Dürer's self-identification with Christ in this portrait predetermined the subsequent images of Christ that he created; they always had similarities with the artist himself. The portrait is in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich

Adoration of the Magi (1504). The artist depicted himself as one of the Magi. The plaque is kept in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence

In Venice, in the church of San Bartolomeo, Durer painted the painting “Feast of the Rosary”, where, according to the custom of Italian masters, he placed his image in a prominent place: from the depths, the elegant Durer closely watches the viewer. In his hands he holds an unfolded sheet of paper with the inscription in Latin: “Done in five months. Albrecht Durer, German, 1506"
The painting is kept in the National Gallery in Prague

Material from Wikipedia - the free encyclopedia

THE MOST FAMOUS Self-Portrait of Durer 1500g Wood, oil. 67; 49 cm
Alte Pinakothek, Munich “Self-portrait at the age of twenty-eight”, “Self-portrait in clothes trimmed with fur”

The self-portrait attracts attention for its similarity with images of Christ accepted in art at that time - the symmetry of the composition, the colors in dark tones, the full-face turn and the hand raised to the middle of the chest, as if in a gesture of blessing. The inscriptions on a black background on either side of Dürer seem to float in space, emphasizing the symbolism of the portrait.

The light tones of the previous self-portraits were replaced by a muted palette. In this work, Dürer seems to have approached what art historian Marcel Brion calls “classicism according to Ingres. A face with the inflexibility and impersonal dignity of a mask that hides the anxiety of turmoil, pain and passion within.”
The apparent symmetry of the picture is somewhat broken: the head is located slightly to the right of center, strands of hair fall to the side, and the gaze is directed to the left.

What was this interesting person and wonderful artist like?

Although Dürer considered himself a melancholic person, his disposition was not distinguished by “neither gloomy severity nor unbearable importance; and he did not at all believe that the sweetness and fun of life are incompatible with honor and decency,” as Joachim Camerari wrote. And indeed, Albrecht’s diaries are full of similar entries: “... spent 5 stivers on a swim and drank with friends,” “lost 7 stivers to Mr. Hans Ebner at the Mirror Tavern, etc. Dürer was a regular at the then fashionable public baths, where he found his sitters without spending additional time persuading them to pose. In one of his engravings (“Men’s Bath”), Dürer, according to researchers, depicted himself as a flutist.

Since childhood, Dürer loved music and even tried to play music himself on the lute. He was friends with the musicians and created several of their portraits. In his preface to the “Book of Painting,” Dürer recommended that young men learning the craft of an artist should be distracted by playing musical instruments for a short time “in order to warm the blood,” so that they would not become melancholy from excessive exercise. Dürer often portrayed himself as a musician.

Undoubtedly, Dürer was fascinated by his own reflection in the mirror and considered himself an attractive man, as he mentioned in letters to his friend Willibald Pirkheimer. And nothing speaks of this more eloquently than the self-portraits that Dürer created throughout his life. Even sick and emaciated, Dürer is always beautiful.

Another passion of Dürer was his love of clothes. He spent a lot of money on purchasing numerous fur coats, brocade, velvet and satin. He preferred snow-white embroidered vases with wide elbow-length sleeves and elegant headdresses in Italian fashion. He carefully thought out the color combinations and style of his clothes and selected accessories to go with them. Hairstyle was no less important for Dürer.

The artist’s contemporary Lorenz Beheim complained in a letter about Durer’s delays in completing the commissioned portrait, mentioning “his boy” who terribly dislikes Durer’s beard (its daily curling and styling takes away the time needed to paint the portrait), and therefore “he would be better off shaving it off.” ".
But gloves for Dürer were not just a fashionable accessory designed to protect and decorate his hands, gloves were a symbol that marked his chosenness, because his hands were not just beautiful, they were the hands of a genius.

The love for elegant things forced Dürer to constantly buy and exchange more and more new acquisitions for engravings, which he constantly sent to Nuremberg in whole chests. What was not among Dürer's trophies: Calcutta nuts, an ancient Turkish whip, parrots donated by the Portuguese merchant Rodrigo d'Amada, bull horns, an indispensable attribute of the still life "Vanitas vanitatis" skull, bowls made of maple wood, viewing glasses, dried cuttlefish, large fish scales, a monkey, a moose hoof, smoking pipes, a large tortoiseshell and a lot of other things. Dürer constantly brought into the house items that were useless for the household. But more than anything else, he, of course, valued professional accessories. He spared no expense in purchasing the best German, Dutch, Italian paper, goose and swan feathers, copper sheets, paints, brushes, silver pencils and engraving tools.

The titan of the Western European Renaissance, the genius of the Renaissance, Albrecht Dürer was one of the brightest stars in the horizon of German painting. The greatest artist of the turn of the 15th-16th centuries became famous for his wood and copper engravings; landscapes made in watercolor and gouache, realistic living portraits. He became the first art theorist in history. Being a versatile person, Albrecht Durer created not just outstanding works, but intellectual masterpieces. Among them is the engraving “Melancholy” with its magic square.

The brilliant artist became famous for his self-portraits, which contained both skill and the unique idea of ​​the author. During his life, Albrecht Dürer created at least 50 such works, but only a few have survived to this day. What is remarkable about Durer's self-portraits? Why do they still make enthusiastic admirers of his work tremble?

Self-portraits as a biography of Albrecht Durer

Biographers say that the master Albrecht Durer was an extremely attractive young man, and his love for self-portraits was partly due to a vain desire to please people. However, this was not their true purpose. Dürer's self-portraits are a reflection of his inner world and views on art, the history of the evolution of intelligence and the development of artistic taste. They can be used to trace the entire life of the artist. Each stage is a new work, strikingly different from the previous one. Dürer made self-portrait a separate genre in fine art, and his works as a whole became a living biography of the artist. They can sometimes tell more than any book.

The first self-portrait of the great artist

Albrecht Dürer's first self-portrait was created in 1484. At that time the artist was only thirteen years old, but he already knew how to correctly convey proportions and had excellent command of a silver pin. For the first time, young Albrecht used it to draw the contours of his face. This tool leaves a silvery mark on primed paper. Over time, it acquires a brown tint. It is almost impossible to erase it from the sheet without damaging the soil. Thirteen-year-old Albrecht, however, painted a portrait of them, the creation of which would have caused difficulties even for a seasoned artist of that time.

In the drawing, young Durer looks thoughtful and at the same time strict. His gaze is filled with sadness and determination. The hand gesture speaks of an irreconcilable desire to achieve one’s goal - to become a great master of one’s craft. One day Albrecht's father saw his son's work. Dürer's first self-portrait amazed the talented jeweler. The father always wanted his son to follow in his footsteps, but after appreciating Albrecht’s work, he sent him to study in the studio of the artist Michael Wolgemut. There, young Dürer learned the basics of painting and engraving.

Early pen self-portrait

Upon completion of training, each artist, according to the tradition of that time, went on a journey. While traveling, he had to gain experience from masters from distant lands. Albrecht Durer also followed this path. The self-portrait he painted during his trip to Europe was executed in a completely different manner. It shows the young artist’s ability to reflect on paper the inner state of a person’s soul. This time Durer used a pen, and his mood was different. In the drawing “Self-Portrait with a Bandage,” Albrecht’s face is full of torment and undisguised pain. It is covered with wrinkles, which make the image more gloomy. The cause of the torment is not known for certain, but there is no doubt that it took place.

Self-portrait, 1493

Towards the end of Albrecht's wanderings, news of his imminent marriage overtook him. Then, in the 15th century, parents themselves chose a couple for their children. Albrecht's father found a bride from a noble Nuremberg family. The young artist did not object to marrying Agnes Frey. There is a point of view that it was on the occasion of such an event that Durer wrote “Self-Portrait with a Thistle.” In those days, it was considered the norm that future spouses met directly at the wedding, so the young artist decided to give his future wife a special gift.

In the portrait, Albrecht is 22 years old. The young man looked into the distance. He is focused and thoughtful. Albrecht’s eyes are a little squinty due to the fact that he worked on the portrait while looking at himself in the mirror. The artist holds a thistle in his hands. It became the subject of controversy between fans of Durer's work.

Controversy surrounding Self-Portrait with a Thistle

The equivalent of thistle in German is männertreu, which literally translates to “male fidelity.” This clearly indicates that the self-portrait was intended for Agnes Frey. However, opponents of this point of view argue that the thistle is a symbol of the passion of Christ, and the thorns of the plant represent the torment of Jesus. In addition, Dürer wrote on the self-portrait: “My affairs are controlled by the Almighty.” And this also clearly indicates that this painting is an expression of the artist’s submission and devotion to God, and not a gift to his future wife. However, only Dürer himself knew the truth.

Italian work, 1498

The next work of the master Albrecht in the genre of self-portrait was completed in Italy. The artist always wanted to go to this country and get acquainted with the unique tradition of Italian painting. The young wife and her family did not support the idea of ​​travel, but the plague epidemic that swept through Nuremberg made the desired trip possible. Dürer was struck by the bright riot of colors of the Italian landscapes. He depicted nature with incredible clarity for that time. Dürer became the first landscape painter in the history of art. His ideal was now a correct image, corresponding to nature and geometry. The creative atmosphere of Italy helped him accept himself as an innovative artist. And this is fully reflected in his Italian self-portrait.

It depicts a self-confident person who has realized his calling, the mission of the creator of beauty and the credo of a thinker. This is how Dürer became. The self-portrait, the description of which allows one to judge the changes in his self-awareness, is one of the artist’s most famous works. Dürer is full of dignity in it. His posture is straight and his gaze expresses confidence. Albrecht is richly dressed. His carefully curled hair falls to his shoulders. And in the background of the self-portrait you can see the Italian landscape - the artist’s pure inspiration.

Four Temperaments

Dürer's next work fully reflects his nature as a thinker, as well as his desire for self-knowledge. The self-portrait is dedicated to the Greek doctrine of the four temperaments. According to him, people are divided into melancholics and phlegmatics. In the engraving “Men's Bath,” the great artist embodied each type of temperament in an individual person. Dürer considered himself melancholic. An unknown astrologer once told him about this. It can be assumed that it is in this role that he is depicted in the engraving. The artist depicted himself as a flutist entertaining his friends.

"Self-portrait as Christ", 1500

Dürer returned from Italy no longer a timid student, but a master of his craft. At home, Albrecht received many orders that brought him fame. His work was already known outside his native Nuremberg, and the artist himself put his business on a commercial basis. At the same time, a new century was approaching, the onset of which was to be marked by the end of the world. The intense period of eschatological anticipation had a significant impact on the master Albrecht. And in 1500, the most famous work that Durer created appeared - “Self-Portrait in the Image of Christ.”

He photographed himself from the front, which was unthinkable courage in the 16th century. All the portraits of that time had one thing in common: ordinary people were always depicted half-turned, and only Jesus was an exception. Dürer became the first artist to violate this unspoken ban. the perfect wavy hair really makes him look like Christ. Even the hand, depicted at the bottom of the canvas, is folded in a gesture typical of the holy father. The colors in the picture are subdued. Against the background of black, red, white and brown shades, the artist’s face stands out clearly. Dressed in robes trimmed with fur, master Albrecht seemed to compare himself with a creator who creates his own special, mysterious and unique world with a chisel and brush.

Religious self-portraits

Dürer's subsequent self-portraits had a pronounced religious character. The 16th century was full of upheavals associated with the awareness of the role of God in the life of the common man. Martin Luther made a strong contribution to this issue, trying to convey the essence of Christian teaching to people. And Dürer wrote numerous religious compositions. Among them are the “Feast of the Rosary” and “Adoration of the Holy Trinity.” On them, Durer is not only a master, but also a participant in sacred actions. In this way he paid tribute to devotion to God.

The most candid self-portrait

One of the artist’s most controversial and mysterious works, “Nude Self-Portrait,” has religious overtones. Albrecht Dürer portrayed himself in the image of Christ the Martyr. This is evidenced by the thin face, emaciated body, and posture reminiscent of Jesus during the scourging. Even the fold of skin depicted by the artist above the right thigh can have symbolic meaning. There was one of the wounds received by Christ.

The drawing was made with pen and brush on tinted green paper. The exact time of creation of the self-portrait is unknown, but based on the age of the artist in the painting, it can be assumed that he painted it in the first decade of the 16th century. It is reliably known that the author kept the work at home and did not present it to the general public. No artist before or after him depicted himself completely naked. The drawing, shocking in its frankness, can hardly be found in publications dedicated to art.

Albrecht Durer's last self-portraits

Dürer's subsequent self-portraits predicted his imminent death. In the Netherlands, he was struck by a strange illness, which no one had any idea about at that time. Now historians can only assume that it was malaria. The artist had problems with the spleen, which he clearly indicated in the self-portrait “Dürer - Sick” with a yellow spot. He sent this drawing to his doctor and wrote him a short message. It said that the place where the yellow spot is depicted causes pain. A reflection of the artist’s physical condition and a continuation of the religious theme was “Self-portrait in the image of the suffering Christ.” It depicts Dürer, tormented by an unknown illness and spiritual discord, the cause of which was, perhaps, the Reformation and related events.

He soon died, leaving to his descendants the greatest legacy of his time. Durer's self-portraits, kept in the most famous galleries in the world, such as the Louvre in Paris and the Prado in Madrid, still amaze with their inner strength and almost mystical beauty.

"Self-Portrait"- painting by Albrecht Durer. The smallest of Dürer's three known color self-portraits.

History of creation

The artist’s signature is on the canvas: “I wrote this from myself / I was twenty-six years old / Albrecht Durer (German). Das malt ich nach meiner gestalt / Ich war sex und zwenzig Jor alt / Albrecht Dürer)". Since the artist turned 27 years old on May 21, we can say with confidence that Dürer finished work on his portrait at the beginning of 1498. Dürer was the son of a jeweler who came to Nuremberg from Hungary in the mid-15th century. He is one of the most famous representatives of the Renaissance in Germany. 1498 was an important year for him. This year he published a series of 15 Apocalypse prints. In the same year, he returned from a trip to Italy; the influence of the Venetian and Lombardy school, in particular Giovanni Bellini, is noticeable in the style of his canvas.

Artist and gentleman

The artist’s pose on the canvas is very calm and confident. He depicted himself standing, turning slightly to the side, resting his hand on the ledge. The figure of Dürer occupies the entire canvas, almost touching the top of the picture with his headdress. His face and neck are illuminated by the light coming into the room, and his long wavy hair is depicted with great care. Compared to the earlier self-portrait, he here has a real beard, which was an unusual attribute for young men of the time. The painter's clothes are very elegant. His elegant jacket is edged in black, and underneath he wears a white shirt embroidered at the collar. He has a striped headdress on his head, matching his jacket. A light brown cape is draped over his shoulder, held in place by a cord wrapped around his neck. On his hands are fine leather gloves.

The room features an arch that partially frames the artist's head, and on the right is an open window with an exquisite landscape. Green fields run into the distance towards a lake surrounded by trees, and behind are visible snow-covered mountains, probably reminiscent of Dürer's journey through the Alps three years earlier. In Germany at this time, the artist was still considered a craftsman, which was absolutely unacceptable for Dürer. In the self-portrait he is depicted as an aristocrat, an arrogant and dandy young man.

His fashionable and expensive suit, as well as the mountain range in the distance outside the window (the horizon stretching into the distance), indicate that he no longer considers himself a limited provincial.

Self-portraits of Dürer

Dürer was the first Western artist to paint several self-portraits during his life. Thanks to them, you can trace the evolution of the painter. Dürer painted his first self-portrait in 1484 at the age of 13; this silver engraving is kept in