Albrecht Dürer, Self- Portrait, 1500

Albrecht Dürer: Painter, printmaker, intellectual

Born in Nuremberg in 1471, the son of a goldsmith, Albrecht Dürer was immediately exposed to an artistic environment. Growing up, he must have witnessed on an everyday basis the cultivation of craftmanship and, hence, realized early on its importance. He learned drawing from his father and, probably, how to use the burin. Young Albrecht, however, showed such a great talent for painting, that, instead of treading in his father's footsteps, he went on to train as a painter at a young age. He was very meticulous. He practiced extensively in sketching and produced extremely detailed preparatory drawings, that can be seen underneath the paint. Having the courage to differentiate his path from that of his father, following his talent and, presumably, his passion, attests to a dynamic and ambitious personality. Indeed, he produced a self-portrait at the age of thirteen, two years before he began his official training in painting, as if he already envisioned the fame that his bright future as an artist would bring him.

Nuremberg was a humanist centre at the time. The recent invention of the printing press by Gutenberg, a goldsmith himself, was the means by which humanist ideas spread rapidly. Dürer's godfather transitioned from the goldsmithing craft to that of printmaking as well. Willibald Pirckheimer, one of the most important German humanists, was Dürer's best friend. Dürer had access to his famous library. The extensive correspondence between them reveals the intimacy of their relationship and the genuine emotions of affection and esteem that they had for each other. The circumstances and the social environment that surrounded Albrecht naturally instilled in him the inclination towards humanism as well as the love for printing. Witnessing first-hand the power of prints in his hometown, he was able to discern that this medium would be crucial to the rapid dispersal of his own art as well. Ultimately, his assessment proved to be correct, as he indeed attained fame, so did his engravings, which were being widely copied.

All that humanism promulgated, mainly the importance of the individual and the preeminence of logic and veracity, contributed to a heightened interest towards the sciences and an elevation of the status of the individual author. At the same time, as the renaissance ideas pertaining to the values of antiquity were exemplified in italian art, the artist felt compelled to follow the artistic tradition of visiting Italy, to study the relics of ancient art and witness first-hand the masterpieces of earlier as well as contemporary artists he admired. He did so twice, the first time for several months and the second for about two years, both times spending most of his stay in Venice.

When he was 22 years old, Dürer created his self-portrait again, this time his first known painted one. It is a mysterious self-portrait, because of its symbolic qualities, rendered primarily by the thistle that the artist is portrayed holding and by the inscription next to the date, that reads Things happen to me / As it is written on high. 'Combined with the inscription on the picture next to the date, [...] the thistle could also be seen as a reference to Christ's Passion (or more specifically to the spikes on the crown of thorns)' (Collange, n.d.). Albrecht was very consistent throughout his career with the use of symbolism. Symbols are incorporated in almost all of his works. Most notably, his famous engraving titled Melencolia I is overflown with symbols. An artist who is engaged in symbolism is clearly a thinking artist, who communicates his intellectualism to the audience of his art.

In 1498, at the age of 26, he painted another self-portrait, in three-quarter view, like the previous one. Here again, he documents his age. His image is that of a gentleman, as he wished to be seen. As he had famously expressed to Pirckheimer in their correspondence, in Italy he was perceived as a gentleman, whereas in Germany he feared that he would face contempt. Albrecht's concerns actually had to do with the issue of the status of the artist. In reality, though, his social graces were obvious to others anywhere he was. Well-mannered and humorous at the same time, he was also a gifted speaker and was 'deservedly held a most excellent man' (Richardson et al., 2007, p. 24).

In 1500, just before turning 29 years old, he produces his most iconic self-portrait. Here, for the first time, he abandons the three-quarter view and instead faces the viewer directly. Also for the first time, the language that he uses for the inscription instead of german is latin, the language of the Church and the scholars. In this painting, the allusion to Christ is stronger than ever, as there is an almost complete identification between the Saviour and the artist. The recurring allusions to Christ in his art indicate the artist's metaphysical concerns and his yearning for recognition in posterity.

Dürer is the paradigmatic artist of the Northern Renaissance. He was eager to incorporate the humanistic values into his art and also into his life. He studied rigorously the works of various scholars and reproduced their ideas in his own theoretical treatises about geometry, architecture and the human proportions, enriching them at times with his own observations and beliefs. His varied ideas demonstrate his constructive restlessness, which compelled him to never stop looking for the truth and the ideal in all that was important to him. He chose to turn to theory production when he was older and his health and physical capabilities had deteriorated. It is evident, thus, that he was a persistently creative man, who adapted to the circumstances instead of giving up.

The attempt to define who he really was wholly as a person and not just as an artist would require the evaluation of the evidence that is available regarding his personal life as well. As that evidence is scarce and does not originate from numerous sources, it is impossible to verify it. Any conclusion, thus, would be the product of subjective assessment. From his correspondence with Pirckheimer, one can see that he had a sense of humour. Also, that his relationship with his wife must not have been among his most cherished ones, as the only references to her that survive are the negative ones made by Albrecht. It is worth noting here that the marriage had been arranged in his absence and was without children. Moreover, that Agnes was wealthy and that she helped Albrecht by selling his works on a regular basis and running his workshop when he was away. Regarding again Dürer's psychological makeup, the fact that he witnessed the plague and the loss of his many brothers and sisters must have certainly cast a dark shadow over his emotional core. The central figure of Melencolia I, that is portrayed as consumed by thoughts, with the head in the shadow, while being surrounded by the tools of various crafts and sciences serves as an illustration of the creative genius that Albert was, with his numerous talents, carrying a gloomy weight on his shoulders.

Dürer was fortunate enough to achieve recognition for his talent during his lifetime. As a result, he had the priviledge of securing the patronage of Emperor Maximilian I. While being talented, he was just as practical. Despite being creative and consumed by his ideas, he never lost his grip on reality and recognized the importance of securing patronage. Therefore, after Maximilian's death, he travelled to Aachen, on the occasion of the coronation of the new emperor, Charles V, in order to acquire his patronage. His financial awareness is demonstrated also in his conscious choice of intaglio as a medium. Writing in 1509 to his then-patron Jakob Heller, he declares emphatically: 'I want to turn my attention to engraving and if I had done so hitherto, I would now be 1,000 florins richer' (Richardson et al., 2007, p. 124) It seems that, after all, he succeeded in managing his finances, as he left a notable fortune behind him.

Bibliography

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2. Collange, A. (n.d.) Self-Portrait or Portrait of the Artist Holding a Thistle. [online] The Louvre. Available at http://www.louvre.fr/en/oeuvre-notices/self-portrait-or-portrait-artist-holding-thistle [Accessed 11/11/16].

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