ASK the question ‘Who was the Renaissance’s greatest Renaissance man’ and the most common responses are likely to be Leonardo, then Michelangelo and Raphael. So tightly is the Renaissance interwoven with its Italian heartlands that few would think to look beyond it. Yet, take a step back, and a realistic contender for the most talented and varied man of the age would not be Italian at all, but German: Albrecht Dürer.
This year marks the 550th anniversary of Dürer’s birth, so it is a fitting time to remember exactly what it was that made him great. Dürer (1471–1528) was a contemporary of the big three—indeed, he corresponded with both Leonardo and Raphael—and was their equal in accomplishments. He might not have been a visionary scientist in the style of Leonardo or a sculptor, architect and poet like Michelangelo, but he was, nevertheless, a painter of the highest skill, a printmaker of genius and the author of treatises on measurement and fortifications. He was more widely travelled than his Italian peers and was probably a religious reformer for good measure.
'The Emperor noted Dürer was “already a nobleman for the excellence of his art'
His achievements were all the more impressive because of the country and city of his birth. Nuremberg was prosperous and cultured but was no Florence or Urbino, so Dürer did not have exposure to the buildings, artworks and courtly taste of the earlier Renaissance generation to inspire him. Nor were Germany’s cultural and trading relationships with Italy as developed as those of the Low Countries. He was an artist from the fringes with no alternative but to forge his own way.
Denne historien er fra February 24, 2021-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra February 24, 2021-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Kitchen garden cook - Apples
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The original Mr Rochester
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Get it write
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'Sloes hath ben my food'
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Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
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Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
