- Year of birth: May 21, 1471
- Date of death: April 6, 1528
- Country: Germany
- Locations of the artist’s works: Metropolitan Museum Louvre Pinakothek, Munich British Museum Albertina Gallery, Vienna
Biography:
On May 21, 1471, Albrecht Dürer was born in Nuremberg. There were 18 children in the Dürer family (Albrecht was born the third). His father was a goldsmith and so from an early age Dürer helped his father in the jewelry business. Albrecht’s talent as an artist manifested itself quickly, and his father accepted that the child would not be a jeweler. So Dürer was given as an apprentice to Michael Wolgemuth (a local artist). Wolgemuth was known not only as a good artist, but also as an excellent master of engraving, which his pupil fully mastered. The end of Dürer’s apprenticeship In 1490 Albrecht Dürer’s apprenticeship ended and he painted his first painting that year – “Portrait of his father”. The next 4 years the young artist spent traveling around Europe to see how people lived, to gain new impressions. In 1492 Durer found himself in Colmar, where at that time lived the famous painter Martin Schongauer. But Dürer never got to meet Martin, as he died a year before Albrecht’s arrival. But Dürer did meet one of Schongauer’s brothers, who invited him to Basel. It was in Basel that Dürer became acquainted with many famous works; in addition, Schongauer’s brother had his own jewelry workshop, so they found common ground. In 1493, Dürer ended up in Strasbourg. It was there that Albrecht received a letter from his father, who arranged for his son to marry “in absentia.” Such marriages were quite common at the time. Dürer’s marriage to Agnese On July 7, Dürer was married to the daughter of the famous physician Agnese Frey. That the marriage was not very happy is not surprising, but they lived together until their deaths. In 1495, Dürer even painted a portrait of his wife – “my Agnes.” The wife was interested in very other things, but in no way art and culture, so they did not always find a compromise. They had no children. Durer became really famous after his arrival from Italy in 1494, where he spent six months. His first success came with his wooden and copper engravings, which came out in a huge number of copies. Soon Dürer became known outside Germany as well. Going to Italy again, in 1505, Dürer was received with honors, including the 75-year-old Giovanni Bellini. In Venice, Albrecht Dürer executed for the German church of San Bartolomeo an altarpiece entitled “Feast of the rosary.” Dürer’s fame grew every year. His work was recognized and highly respected. In 1507 he returned to his homeland, and in 1509 he bought a huge house, which has survived to this day. It now houses the Dürer Museum. In 1512 the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I visited Nuremberg in winter. And by this time Albrecht Dürer had painted two portraits of Maximilian’s predecessors on the throne. The emperor liked these portraits very much and he immediately ordered his own portrait from Dürer as well, but he could not pay him. He therefore obliged the Nuremberg treasury to pay the artist a handsome annual bonus. After Maximilian’s death in 1519 they stopped paying Dürer. Going on a trip in 1520 to the new emperor Charles V, Dürer tried to restore justice, and he succeeded. Already at the very end of his trip Dürer contracted malaria, from which he died in 1528 in Nuremberg on April 6.
The end of Dürer’s education
Dürer’s marriage to Agnes
Paintings by Albrecht Dürer
The Four Apostles
Adam And Eve
Worship Of The Holy Trinity
Self-Portrait 1498
Self-Portrait In Fur-Trimmed Clothes
Our Lady With The Child And Saint Anna
Dresden Altar
Siskin Wing
A Big Chunk Of Meadow
Rhinoceros
Adoration Of The Magi
Portrait Of A Young Man
Portrait Of Father
Rose Wreath Festival
Early Self-Portrait 1493
The Hands Of The Praying Man
The Seven Sorrows Of The Virgin Mary
Portrait Of A Venetian Woman
Christ Among Teachers
Hare
