It is no wonder I like him. He took risks. He rocked some boats by placing himself frontally, a stance used for the divine when he presented his self portrait around 1500.We are lucky to have so many writings from his own hand. It gives you an insight into his mind that you cannot enjoy at the same level through the someone else writing about him.
To be a successful artist and focus on ones work, it helps to be in the right place at the right time. Nuremberg was an important and prosperous city, the center for publishing and luxury trades. It also had strong links in Italy, particularly Venice which was not that far away. He spent most of his life there. His father was a goldsmith. Klimt's father was also a goldsmith and he found a way to use his fathers wares within his art 400 years later. Durer did not produce paintings with the gold however, he did use some techniques he may have learned from his father and incorporated some of the tools of the trade in his print work.
Durer is an absolute master working in a multitude of mediums, oil, watercolor, woodcuts for printing. He painted portraits, animals, landscapes... just about everything. Durer was a mathematician and engraver. It seems unfair that one person could possess all that talent and some folks feel like they got nothing.
He said "one man may sketch something with his pen and half sheet of paper in one day, or may cut it into a tiny piece of wood with his little iron, and it turns out better and more artistic than an other's work at which it's author labors with the utmost diligence for a whole year". I am a laborer. I have to work at it and it takes me a long time to finish some paintings. I don't have the heart to think about how much I would make per hour so I just try to put it out of my mind entirely.
Yep, he was a rock star. It is written that he was an excellent communicator and very personable. He was friendly with Leonardo Da Vinci who was also a genius in his time. Maybe that is what was expected of an artist of the period. No pressure! There were so many things to learn about and they were both curious and adventurous. The Renaissance and Reformation was in full swing and being too outwardly vocal could get you killed.
He would have probably been a damn great tattoo artist if he had thought of it or had the tools. Countless people get a tattoo based on one of his drawings, the Praying Hands done in 1508. Is there a better example of praying hands anywhere in the world? No pressure!
A lot is expected of the artist today no matter what the medium. Art schools are busy and it takes a lot to get accepted. The academic study of art is more relevant today than ever. A good artist never feels like there is enough time to learn what they need to take their work to the "next level." I am no exception. If only I did not have to sleep or eat. For now, I will just "face front" and keep making art.
by Renee Bangerter
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