How Did Albrecht Dürer Use Renaissance Northern Art?

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The Renaissance Era (14th to 16th century) was a rebirth of the ideals, scientific curiosity, and individualism of the Greeks and Romans. It began in Florence in the late Medieval period. It experimented with intense emotion of the bodies and the faces. They tried to make it as real as possible. Many individuals were gifted with artistic skill and creativity. I will talk about how the Mediterranean influenced the Northern Artists such as Albrecht Dürer, Peter Paul Rubens, Simon Vouet and Anthony van Dyck. I will pick one famous piece of each and explain how they used Baroque or Italian features. Albrecht Dürer was born May 21, 1471 in the Franconian city of Nuremberg, one of the artistic and commercial centers in Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries. He was a painter, draftsman and writer but his greatest artistic impact was in the medium of printmaking. Dürer apprenticed with his father, who was a goldsmith and with Michael Wolgemut (the local painter). He changed printmaking,…show more content…
He visited Constantinople in 1611 to 1612 before moving to Italy, where he lived from 1613 to 1627. He was mostly in Rome where the Baroque style was emerging during these years. The use of dramatic contrasts of light and shade seen in such early works as his 'Two Lovers' indicates that he began in Rome as a follower of Caravaggio. Even though he was successful in Rome he returned to France in 1627. His new style was without any doubt Italian, it showed an individual talent and a profound study of Italian painters. Vouet introduced the Italian Baroque style in France with such paintings as The Toilet of Venus, but his late works displayed the soft, idealized modeling, sensuous forms, and bright colors for which he is best known for. In The Toilet of Venus, I noticed that Venus is naked and is only covered with elegant fabrics. I also noticed some cherubs holding the mirror that Venus is looking
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