The best paintings of Durer. "Melancholy" of Durer

Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528), German painter, graphic artist, outstanding theoretician of art, was born in the Hungarian big family of Albrecht Dürer Sr. and German woman Barbara Holper. The family lived in the city of Nuremberg, located in the south-eastern part of Germany. Father, a goldsmith, tried to instill in the boy interest in the profession of a jeweler, but young Albrecht wished to become an artist. And when the youngest Durer was 15 years old, he was given to the workshop of the famous Nuremberg painter Michael Wolgemuth.

The first steps of the young artist

Albrecht proved to be a diligent and apt pupil, he in a short time mastered the fundamental canons of painting and wrote several small canvases. Durer's paintings were approved by the teacher. Volgemut, in addition to creating paintings, was engaged in graphics. His engravings, made on the principle of woodcuts (wood engraving), was used in his book "Nuremberg Chronicles" by Hartman Schödel, a German cartographer. The illustrations made by Wohlgemuth and his disciples formed the main part of the book that went down in history as a work of art. The author of one of the engravings in the book "Dance of Death" was Albrecht Durer.

Creative travel

In the 15th century in Germany there was a tradition of student trips, during which apprentices got acquainted with the works of masters from other regions of the country. Such a journey and a young painter Durer. His voyage lasted four years, from 1490 to 1494th. In addition to German cities, the artist Durer, whose paintings were already well known, also visited cities in Switzerland and Holland, gaining invaluable experience from the great masters of Flemish painting and Swiss engraving specialists. Starting his journey, Durer wanted to meet with the artist Martin Schongauer, whom he considered the masterpiece of art in the fine arts. At that time, Schongauer lived in Colmar and engraved copper engravings. However, the meeting of the two artists did not take place, since Martin shortly before his arrival, Albrecht died.

Basel

Albrecht Durer, whose paintings and engravings were already known in the circle of specialists, met with the brother of the late Martin Schongauer, Ludwig, who also engraved on copper. Ludwig and gave Albrecht his experience. The technique of copper engraving required jewelry skills, and they were with Durer because, as a teenager, he for several years helped in the jewelry shop to his father. Albrecht moved to Basel, the center of book printing. In Basel, there lived one more of the Schongauer brothers, Georg. Cooperating with him, Durer has mastered all the subtleties of creating book engravings, and after a while in Basel's books began to appear in a new, previously unknown, style. Creativity Durer improved, he successfully applied new forms. In the book "Ship of Fools" German satirist Sebastian Brunt, there were 75 of his graphic illustrations. Also in Basel, Dürer created a series of engravings for the comedy book Publius Terence, a Roman comedian. From Basel, Albrecht went to Strasbourg, where he wrote his famous "Self-Portrait with a Thistle," which sent to his bride.

Return to Nuremberg

In Nuremberg Albrecht Durer, whose paintings were written earlier in the spirit of German color, returned in 1494 with a huge baggage of knowledge obtained over four years of wandering around Europe. Soon he married Agnes Frey, a decent girl, the daughter of Hans Frey, the owner of the workshop of precise measuring instruments. The marriage gave Albrecht the opportunity to start his own business. However, he founded his own workshop in Nuremberg only in 1495, because two months after his marriage he left for Italy, where he began to get acquainted with the works of Giovanni Bellini, the painter of the Venetian school, and Mantegna adhering to the harsh and rigid Padua style of painting. Some of Durer's paintings were subsequently written in the same manner. And sketches of a landscape character, made by Durer during a trip to Italy, will later become engravings.

Engravings

On his return from Italy, Albrecht Dürer opened his workshop and devoted 10 years to the manufacture of wood and copper engravings. Cooperating with the Nuremberg masters-colleagues - Hans von Kulmbach and Hans Scheufelin, Durer provided prints illustrating the publications of Pindar, Goltsel and Koberger. Albrecht's works were of a deep thematic nature, their quality was at a high artistic level. Durer was considered an unsurpassed master of book illustration. In 1498 the publisher Koberger published the book "Apocalypse", which included 15 xylographs of the graphic artist, including "Four Horsemen" and "The Battle of the Archangel Michael with the Dragon." The painting "Apocalypse" by Durer is considered his best work. The theme, uniting 15 plots in a single whole, was brilliantly reflected by the artist. Each engraving is, as it were, a continuation of the previous one and precedes the next one. And much later, in 1514, he created a mysterious engraving on copper called "Melancholy." Durer on it depicted a bored angel, who, apparently, also has emotional feelings.

Painting

"Apocalypse" brought Albrecht Dürer world-wide fame, and "Melancholy" Durer was included in the gold fund of fine art. The next major work of the artist was the book "The Passion of Saint Brigitta", which included 30 engravings. In addition to working on illustrations of modern books, Dürer also created engravings for the works of ancient authors such as Aristotle and Theophrastus, Aristophanes and Lucian. Engaging in graphics, Albrecht did not leave and painting, paintings Durer periodically appeared in the field of view of the general public. Also in 1497-1499 he painted portraits: Albrecht Durer-senior, father of the artist, elector of Saxony Frederick III, Oswald Krehl, sales agent. One of the most striking works in Durer's painting is the painting "Adoration of the Magi". Next comes the "Dresden Altar" and "The Seven Tribulations" - an extensive polyptych.

Venice

In 1505, Durer returned to Italy. In Venice, he wrote "The Festival of Wreaths of Roses," but the picture was not created on a traditional canvas, but on a poplar board, with the prospect of its placement in the Church of San Bartolomeo next to the German Trade House Fondaco dei Tedeschi. The picture was ordered by eminent German merchants. Currently, the "Festival of Wreaths of Roses" is in the National Gallery, in Prague. The era of that time was marked by the works of great masters, Titian, Palma Vecchio, Giorgione. However Albrecht Durer gravitated to the work of Giovanni Bellini, who was for him an example of inimitable color. In the end, he became friends with the Italian painter and, at his request, wrote one of his Venetian paintings - "Madonna and Chizhik." Another work, created during the period of Dürer's stay in Venice, "Christ among the teachers," may also have been dedicated to a friend of Albrecht.

Bologna

Regardless of his friendship with Giovanni Bellini, Durer was a respected and esteemed person in Venice. The City Council intended to detain the talented painter, with the offer of 200 ducats as an annual award. It was assumed that Albrecht Durer will participate in city projects. However, the artist's plans did not include sedentary life, he sought to learn something new for himself, and for this it was necessary to constantly travel. After a while, Durer was in Rome, where he hoped to meet with the emperor Maximilian. The meeting did not take place, and Albrecht went to Bologna to visit the university and get acquainted with the scientists. He was interested in questions of perspective, after studying which he could more rationally build his paintings. Consultations with mathematician Luka Pacioli, and then long conversations with the architect Donato Bramante supplemented the luggage of the artist's knowledge, and Durer's paintings became increasingly grandiose.