"Wing of a European Roller," Albrecht Dürer, 1500/1512.
Dürer (1471-1528) was one of the greatest Renaissance artists. A printmaker, painter, and art theorist, he was an enormous influence on art in Northern and Central Europe for centuries.
He was the first Northern artist to introduce nudes and classical subjects, and the quality and popularity of his woodcuts pushed the art of printmaking to new heights and explored what the medium could do. As an art theorist, his writings involved principles of mathematics in depicting linear perspective and body proportions, and his treatises were used as teaching tools for generations.
He achieved popularity in his 20s and never fell from favor, dying a wealthy and acclaimed artist. His home in Nuremberg is still a landmark.
This watercolor nature story of a bird's wing is not really meant to be art, but a sort of training exercise. Still the exquisite detail here shows he took great pains to show it realistically. Dürer was one of the first artists to explore nature with such precision, again influencing later generations.
From the Albertina, Vienna.
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