Albrecht Dьrer's Application of Italian and Northern Art Elements

Albrecht Dьrer's Application of Italian and Northern Art Elements
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Albrecht Dьrer's Application of Italian and Northern Art Elements
The Renaissance took place between the 14th and 17th century following the Middle Ages that saw a rebirth in European economics, politics, art, and culture (History, 2019). In this period, classical philosophy, art, and literature were rediscovered. The period boasts of great thinkers, statesmen, authors, artists, and scientists. Among them was Albrecht Dьrer. Born in 1471 in Nurnberg, Dьrer was a painter, printmaker, and theorist of the German Renaissance. Therefore, he is one of the most celebrated German Renaissance artists (Ruhmer, 2020).
Dьrer was familiar with both Northern and Italian Renaissance developments because of the several journeys to Italy. Dьrer was responsible for the reinterpretation of religious imagery to suit the mostly protestant audience. His works, such as the engraving of Adam and Eve (Stokstad, Fig 22-8) and a painting of Four Apostles (Stokstad, Fig. 22-9), have several elements influenced by both the Northern traditions and Italian art. Dьrer was influenced by numerous Italian artists, including Michelangelo and Masaccio. Further, some of his work projects protestant values and feelings.
The Adam and Eve print by Dьrer is one example of his many references to religion, and Christianity in particular. Adam and Eve are the biblical first man and woman of which, as Christian beliefs assert, all humans descended from. The depiction suggests Dьrer's appreciation of religion, the German culture, and hi...