Albrecht Durer: A Biography [Hardcover]

Jane Campbell Hutchison (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1990 | ISBN-10: 069103978X | ISBN-13: 978-0691039787

Albrecht Drer (1471-1528) was one of the world's great artistic geniuses, unique among his contemporaries in his ability to translate the basic principles of the Italian Renaissance into the northern European style to which he was born. In addition, he was an exemplary figure of the early Reformation: one of the first people to become interested in Martin Luther's writings, he also counted most of Germany's leading humanists among his friends. This major biography links Drer's artistic development to his personal life and to the turbulent history of pre-Reformation Europe. "An informative and engrossing narrative."--Ellen Shultz, The New York Times Book Review ". . . this masterful tabulation of the known facts of Drer's life is both readable and authoritative, and it provides the fullest assortment of well-translated documents since William Martin Conway. Hutchison has long been acknowledged as a leading scholar of German prints and their makers, and her text extends its biographical mission to provide instructive asides about the intellectual and cultural milieu of Drer's Nuremberg."--Larry Silver, Sixteenth Century Journal

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Political reactionary, leftist sympathizer, Renaissance polymath, man of action, xenophobe, paragon of virtue--German artist Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) has inspired contradictory images, allowing various political and aesthetic factions to place him within their heritage. In this stolid, workmanlike biography, University of Wisconsin art historian Hutchison dispels all manner of misconceptions surrounding Durer; for example, the "pseudo-issue" of whether he was Catholic or Protestant (he was sympathetic to Luther's views but was in no formal sense a Protestant). Instead of the conventionally perceived dour melancholic, Hutchison limns a humanist intellectual who exchanged burlesque poetry with Reformation leader Lazarus Spengler, and an artist anxious over eyesight that began to fail in his late 40s. Reproductions of paintings, woodcuts, engravings and sketches help us appreciate anew Durer's astonishing powers of observation.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

This fascinating biography illuminates the life of one of the world's true artistic geniuses. Drawing on the artist's personal journals, diaries, and letters, and Agnes Durer's will, Hutchison documents Durer's international popularity and interaction with the royal, political, and religious leaders of a turbulent pre-Reformation Europe. The text follows the talented young artist from his childhood and apprenticeship as both a goldsmith and painter in Nuremberg to being a well-traveled journeyman, printmaker, publisher, author, and painter. It closes with a description of the artistic and social impact Durer had on the Northern Renaissance and future artists, including his relationship to both Catholic and Lutheran issues of the Reformation. Highly recommended.
- Stephen Allan Patrick, East Tennessee State Univ. Lib., Johnson City
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 247 pages
• Publisher: Princeton Univ Pr (September 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 069103978X
• ISBN-13: 978-0691039787
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,319,149 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent peek into the world of Durer, September 25, 1998

By 

Karl Haight-Boyd ([e-mail]) (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Albrecht Durer (Paperback)

After collecting my 15th Durer book I found a friend who was travelling to Germany and asked for a book IN GERMAN about Durer. The book she brought was actually the book written in english and translated to German. I was delighted! This caused me to reread the english and follow along, as best I could, with the german text. What a pleasure and an underscore to how multitalented and unenjoyed Durer is. From a precocious 12 year old {doing one of the first recognized self portaits} to a traveller of the world, seeker of perspective truth and with humor at his side {read his letters to his friend Pirckhiemer}. Jane C.Hutchinson tells a story worth reading whether you are an artist or just someone who recognizes beauty.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An error by Amazon, June 15, 2010

By 

Dr. Robert H. Getscher (OH United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Albrecht Durer: A Guide to Research (Artist Resource Manuals) (Hardcover)

While Hutchison's "Guide to Research" is outstanding -- I turn to it ofen -- all of the material in Amazon's entry is about her biography of Durer, another excellent and very separate volume. Amazon has conflated the two, harming both books.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent peek into the world of Durer, October 4, 2005

By 

Karl Haight (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Albrecht Durer (Paperback)

After collecting my 15th Durer book I found a friend who was travelling to Germany and asked for a book IN GERMAN about Durer. The book she brought was actually the book written in english and translated to German. I was delighted! This caused me to reread the english and follow along, as best I could, with the german text. What a pleasure and an underscore to how multitalented and unenjoyed Durer is. From a precocious 12 year old {doing one of the first recognized self portaits} to a traveller of the world, seeker of perspective truth and with humor at his side {read his letters to his friend Pirckhiemer}. Jane C.Hutchinson tells a story worth reading whether you are an artist or just someone who recognizes beauty.