Dürer e il Rinascimento tra Germania e Italia
When Albrecht Dürer was born in 1471 in Nuremberg the world was quite a different place as when he died in 1528. During his lifetime Christopher Columbus discovered America, printing spread in Europe enabling ordinary people to gain knowledge and Martin Luther revolutionized the way religion is practiced. The changes to society extended far inside on how art is created in Germany, with Dürer being the main protagonist of the Northern Renaissance.
Living in Nuremberg was a very unique situation by itself. Being a free imperial city meant that Nuremberg was a sovereign state under protection of the Holy Roman Emperor. The Imperial Regalia was kept in this city, making it one of the centers of the Holy Roman Empire. Its location on many major trade roads, including one to Venice, ensured prosperity for the citizens that made the surrounding principalities green with envy.
During his life, Dürer undertook two travels to Italy, in 1494 and 1505 to 1507 (the first one being doubted by scientists). In Italy, especially in Venice where he stayed during his second visit, Dürer was greatly influenced by the prosperous Italian Renaissance. He became friend with Giovanni Bellini, whose painting skills he admired and with whom he exchanged works. He learned the techniques of the Italian masters, such as the perspective, composition of the paintings, and colours. But he was also impressed by the social status of Italian artists who in Venice had a social reputation far greater than in Dürer’s hometown. This complemented the self-esteem of Dürer very much. Not only did he feature himself regularly in self-portraits, but his sole appearance was far from a simple craftsman, with Dürer wearing, unusual in his time, a beard, long blonde hair and dandiness clothes.
Feast of the Rosary, Dürer 1506
He combined the techniques he learned in Italy with Northern European traditions and his own skill. In the exhibition the result can be seen by contrasting a painting of Giovanni Bellini with the Rosenkranzfest of Dürer. Dürer was highly influenced by Bellini but the love of detail, even for objects in the background, is rooted in the art of Northern Europe. Dürer painted himself in the background of the crowd, where he proudly observes the viewer of the work.
This confident self-understanding of Dürer becomes apparent in the very first picture when one enters the exhibition. In the Adoration of the Magi, Dürer decided to not only paint himself as one of the kings, but he himself being in the center of the painting, with the most decorated clothes. Dürer always wants the viewer to recognize that he was the source of the work. Every work by Dürer features his famous monogram AD, a signature, a self-portrait or a combination of the three.
Adoration of the Magi, Dürer 1504
The recognition of the individual extended also to the way Dürer produced and distributed his works. Before Dürer, artworks were predominantly commissioned works by wealthy individuals, aristocrats, kings, or the church. Dürer, however, used the book print for duplicating his woodcuts and copperplate prints. By this means he could reach ordinary people. Charging less for a greater audience was extremely profitable for Dürer. In this business, his distinguishable monogram acted as trademark. Protected from duplication according to a ruling of the court of Nuremberg, it guaranteed quality and authenticity.
Distributing prints of artworks was not new and was also practiced in Italy by masters such as Michelangelo Buonarroti or Raphael. However, Dürer recognized the potential of woodcuts or copperplate prints as an independent form of art. He therefore started to create independent artworks for this media. Before, the technique had been solely used for copying traditional artworks. This gave him total financial and artistic independence from commissioners. It represented a dramatic change in the practice as an artist; that is exemplified by the drama after Pope Julius II forced Michelangelo to interrupt his sculptural work at his tomb in order to paint the ceiling to the Sistine Chapel instead. With the gained freedom, Dürer could now freely express his mind, which made him be labeled as the first modern artist.
Four horseman, scene from the apocalypse, Dürer 1498
Visitors of the exhibition can observe the gained freedom in two extraordinary works. The first, a book which celebrated huge success during the lifetime of Dürer, is a series of prints of the apocalypse. It summarizes the uncertainty of the changing times during the period of the beginning of the 16th century, when many people feared the apocalypse was about to come.
The second example is a small print called the Melencolia I. It constitutes various puzzles and reveals Dürer’s interest in areas different to painting or drawing. As other protagonists of the Renaissance, such as Leonard da Vinci, whose sketches had been studied by Dürer and that can be seen at the exhibition, he had a universal interest in various sciences. His interests included mathematics, geometry, botany or anatomy.
Melencolia I, Dürer 1514