Albrecht Dürer and the Northern Renaissance

What happened

From Nuremberg, Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528) blended the detailed realism of Northern Europe with the balance and proportion of Italian art. In 1514 he produced his celebrated Master Engravings, and over his career made more than 300 prints as well as influential treatises on art theory, spreading Renaissance ideas through the new medium of the printed image.

Why it matters

The most famous artist of the Northern Renaissance, Dürer showed how printmaking could carry sophisticated art and ideas to a wide audience, and raised the status of the artist north of the Alps.

Sources

• World History Encyclopedia. Albrecht Dürer · Reputable source