Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) was the greatest artist of the Northern
European Renaissance. Dürer's virtuoso woodcuts and engravings ensured
his fame throughout the Continent during his own lifetime. Yet he also
produced an extraordinary output in other media - including painting,
watercolour and drawing - which encompasses riveting portraits and
self-portraits, grand altarpieces and meticulous studies of animals and
nature.
In this major new monograph, Jeffrey Chipps Smith examines the myths
that have contributed to Dürer's legend, considering his life and career
within the framework of a tumultuous epoch in European history. Taking
account of the extensive scholarship on the artist, Smith provides fresh
insights into many of his most notable works, uncovering the creative
process behind them and their wealth of meanings and ideas. Central to
Smith's focus is the historical and cultural ferment of pre- and
post-Reformation Europe, as he traces Dürer's formative years in the
Imperial free city of Nuremberg and his subsequent travels across
Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. The result is a vivid picture of the
professional activity of a prolific and psychologically complex figure.
With its detailed commentary and original research, this is both an
authoritive and an approachable monograph - indispensable for the
student or scholar, while certain to appeal to anyone interested in this
brilliant artist.
