Albrecht Dürer enjoys the greatest acclaim as a German Renaissance artist who achieved the same, if not even higher, reputation as his Italian contemporaries. He was one of the first German artists to paint nudes, to study the body’s proportions, and to write theoretical studies on geometry and perspective. But he also wrote poetry; he was involved in politics; and he learned the craft of a goldsmith, so altogether he can be truly identified as a Renaissance man north of the Alps. He composed a treatise on fortifications and numerous letters both in German and in Latin. His paintings, woodcuts, etchings etc. were sought after everywhere, and he indeed enjoyed the highest respect for his art already during his lifetime. Many humanists were friends with Dürer, and he was the first…

2790 words

Citation: Classen, Albrecht. "Albrecht Dürer". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 29 November 2007 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=1360, accessed 28 March 2024.]

1360 Albrecht Dürer 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

Save this article

If you need to create a new bookshelf to save this article in, please make sure that you are logged in, then go to your 'Account' here

Leave Feedback

The Literary Encyclopedia is a living community of scholars. We welcome comments which will help us improve.