The Early Drer

An exploration and appraisal of Dürer’s achievements, focusing on his early work in all media and the historical, sociological, and political background of his life and times Painter, engraver, designer of woodcuts, and major art theorist, Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528) is Germany’s most famous artist. This new study, published in association with the Germanisches Nationalmuseum in Nuremberg, focuses on his early art and the circumstances of the young painter’s life that enabled his unique work. Dürer is resituated in the artistic context of his time, at an exciting crossroad between the imitation of traditional painting and the selfconscious renewal of his profession. Eighteen essays explore his background and the influences on his life and work, from his goldsmith father to his travels in Germany and his stays in Italy to his role as archetype of the modern artist. Hundreds of color illustrations of the early work, many reproduced here for the first time, help establish a new basis for a modern understanding of the artist. 430+ illustrations