Matrix: Contemporary Printmaking - Museum of Fine Arts - Florida ...

Fall 2009
Artists’ Biographies
Albrecht Durer, St. Jerome in
His Study, 1514, etching
Albrecht Durer
Albrecht Durer was one of the most influential
printmakers of his time. His father was a goldsmith, as well as
his godfather, but his godfather left to become a printer and
publisher the year Durer was born, 1471. His godfather became
one of the most successful publishers in Germany and owned
twenty-four printing presses. This probably had an influence on
Durer, sparking his interest in printmaking.
At age fifteen Durer became an apprentice to a local
artist in Nuremburg, Michael Wolgemut. He had a large studio
which produced many woodblock books. This is the studio
where Durer learned how to make woodblock and dry point
prints.
In 1494, at age 23, Durer got married to Agnes Frey, a
daughter of an important brass worker. They had no children
throughout their marriage.
Albrecht Durer, Self-portrait at
28, 1500, oil on panel
In 1494 Durer took his first trip to Venice, Italy to study
more advanced artists. He stayed for a year and went back to
Nuremburg to open his own workshop. Over the next five years
his style began to merge Italian influences with underlying
Northern forms. The first few years at his workshop he
produced mostly woodblocks of religious subjects. He also
trained himself in the difficult task of using the burin to make
engravings. He also became fascinated with proportion. He
actually studied it intensely for the rest of his life. His etching of
Adam and Eve shows his attention to proportion.
In 1505 he returned to Italy to work on painting. By this
time his etchings had gained a tremendous amount of
popularity and were being copied by other artists. In 1507 he
returned to Germany. By this time he was well established and had good relations with
most major artists like Raphael and Titian.
From 1513 to 1514 Durer created his three greatest
achievements in printmaking; Knight, Death, and the Devil,
St. Jerome in His Study, and Melencolia. After that he did
work for Emperor Maximilian.
In his later years, Durer wanted to create a unique
print as a means to celebrate his achievements. Durer made
The Triumphal Arch; to this day this work is still the largest
woodblock print. He used 192 woodblocks to make it.
Around 1520 Durer became a follower of Martin Luther. After
this his work seemed to focus more on religious subjects. He
was still a man of curiosity and wrote four books on human
nature. Sadly the books were published a few months after
his death in 1528. Even today Durer is respected as one of
the greatest printmakers.
Albrecht Durer, Melencolia,
1524, engraving
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