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Albrecht Durer (DYOO rer) was born in Nuremberg, Germany. We know little about his early life except the fact that he was the son of a goldsmith and had seventeen brothers and sisters. We know a lot about him as a man because of the abundance of art works he left and his writings. He seemed to realize he would become famous and wanted people to know a lot about him and the pictures he made.
Also ten letters survive that he wrote to his friend Willibald Pirckheimer. They remained lost for 200 years until they were discovered hidden in a wall.
He made a thousand drawings and watercolors and is considered to be the greatest printmaker of all time. He liked making prints because he could make many reproductions of the same picture, and it was a lucrative business. He made a good profit from it. He made over 350 engravings and woodcuts. Connecticut College presents a large collection of Durer woodcuts.
Sixty of his oil paintings remain. He was the first artist to paint portraits of himself. Let's examine four of his self-portraits.
The first drawing he made of himself was done in 1484 when he was thirteen years old. He used a mirror and drew his likeness. He said, "I drew it when I was still a child."
Albrecht Durer fourth self-portrait 1500
The first painted self-portrait was done when he was twenty-two years old. He married Agnes Frey in 1494 during this time of his life.
When he was twenty-six he painted a portrait of himself as a young man dressed in elegant clothes. His friend said the painting was so realistic that Durer's dog barked and wagged his tail when he saw it.
The fourth portrait was painted when he was twenty-eight years old. (You can look at a larger view of that portrait.)The featured work on this page is A Young Hare which was done in watercolor in 1502.
He died in 1528 at the age of fifty-six.
Today if you go to Nuremberg you can visit the four-story Durer House and observe museum workers reproducing some of Durer's woodblock prints.
Focus On Artists, Grades 4-8
By Teacher Created Resources
Art broadens horizons and allows children to see and evaluate are as they see art as a piece of individual human expression. Students will learn about famous and not-so-famous artists as well as the historical periods in which they lived--Renaissance & Baroque, 19th Century and 20th Century. Each lesson provides an overview with the focus, activity and vocabulary words; the lesson includes a materials list and instructions. Extensions activities and an introduction to each artist are also included. 112 reproducible pages, softcover. Grades 4-8.
Albrecht Durer
from Web Museum Paris
Albrecht Durer
links at Art Cyclopedia
Albrecht Durer
from the ArtChive
Paintings by Durer
at Olga's Gallery
Works of Durer
many woodcuts and engravings at CGFA
A story of the "Praying Hands" by Durer
Information about Durer
at Humanities Web
Durer - Watercolor
art lesson 8th grade, middle school
Easy Printmaking in the Classroom
art lesson for all levels
Online book about Durer
(You can increase the text size by "View, text size, increase".)
Young Hare
Dürer, Albrecht
Buy this Art Print at AllPosters.com
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