Albrecht Durer, who lived from 1471 to 1528, was a famed artist from Nuremberg, Germany in the Northern European Renaissance. During that time period he inspired wide interest in prints. His carving and engraving work marked a distinct difference from the typical oil work of the day. To this day, he is considered one of the most influential artists of the Northern Renaissance.
His life is well documented due to his early fame and autobiographical writing. In spite of his father’s successful goldsmithing vocation, Durer wanted to pursue art. From a young age he displayed his artistic gifts, as evidenced by his silverpoint self-portrait at 13. His fame developed in his mid-twenties as he traveled about Europe selling prints.
Durer’s style is marked especially by its realism, detail and medium. Portraits, engravings and altarpieces are his most famous works. Saint Jerome in his Study is one of his best known, an engraving detailing the saint at work with a lion and lamb laying before his desk.
Durer is thought of as one of the most important artists in the Northern Renaissance. His use of mathematics to improve perspective and proportions embodies the Renaissance thought in its realism. His rise to fame using prints served as an inspiration for many other artists of the time, such as Titian, Raphael, and Parmigianino.
Albrecht Durer was an innovative artist who influence Northern Renaissance. His use of perspective and realism in his engravings made him famous at an extremely young age. Historically, he is remembered for his art and the effect it had on the Northern Renaissance.