Printmaker Biographies

Albrecht Dürer

(1471–1528)

“Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse” by Albrecht Dürer

Albrecht Dürer was a German Renaissance artist whose work in painting, engraving, and printmaking established him as one of the most influential figures of his time.

Born in Nuremberg, Dürer showed exceptional artistic talent from an early age, apprenticing under Michael Wolgemut and later traveling across Europe to study various artistic traditions. Although best known for his engravings like Melencolia I and Knight, Death, and the Devil, Dürer also explored drypoint as a medium.

His drypoint works demonstrate his fascination with line quality and detail, using the technique to capture both intricate textures and emotional depth. Dürer’s ability to combine Northern European realism with Italian Renaissance ideals of proportion and perspective made his work groundbreaking.

Dürer’s legacy extends beyond his prints; he was also a theorist, publishing treatises on geometry, perspective, and human proportions that influenced generations of artists.