History
During his life, 1471 to 1528, Albrecht Dürer contributed many great wood carvings and painting to the Renaissance era. His work featured exceptional detail that was common among northern painters at the time. One of his works, Young Hare, paints a picture of a rabbit beautiful covered in fur and light reflection off its coat; the painting is almost photo realistic. Dürer’s most famous work might be Adam and Eve, where his anatomical proportions capture the biblical begins with touches of the refined Renaissance human proportions.
Self Portrait
Starting at the age of 13 and continuing until he was 29, Albrecht Dürer painted a series of four self portraits.
The detail of his final paining is outstanding. His iris have lines radiating outward just like that of a real eye. The hair on top of his head is ruffled ever so slightly adding a bit of rough character to the photo. The fur on his coat glistens with a luscious texture that wraps to his body.
Intricate details are my favorite part of the Renaissance era, so I have a strong preference towards northern painters. This picture would fit well next to a fireplace and a trophy animal. This is a stunningly simple and elegant painting that captures a simple man.
Humanism Meaning
In his portrait he is depicting himself from a straight on perspective. This technique is commonly used for portraits of Christ. In the wake of humanist movements, self identity was on its way to becoming and important part of life. Today the concept of self image is drastically different than in the 1500s, when a mirror was a luxury most could not afford to have. Through the works of painters and humanists, the concept of personal beauty and vanity was further refined to create today’s modern standards.
Sources:
NA. “The Self-Portraits of Albrecht Dürer.” N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2015. <http://employees.oneonta.edu/farberas/arth/arth200/artist/durer_intro.html>.
Springer, Mike. Self Portrait. Digital image. The Genius of Albrecht Dürer Revealed in Four Self-Portraits. N.p., 4 July 2013. Web. 10 Feb. 2015. <http://www.openculture.com/2013/07/the_genius_of_albrecht_durer_revealed_in_four_self-portraits.html>.
Art Appreciation Blog 
I became a sucker for portraiture, and this portrait definitely caught my eye! The direction of the light and how it fell on his face gave such a rich realistic quality that I think was truly mastered only by a few during this time. (But am new to this, so I am sure there were many more artists who perfected this technique than whom I studied). I found it interesting that while in the middle of the emergence of humanism, symbolism still made it’s way into the arts of this time. As you mentioned, Durer posture in this portrait was reminiscent of Christ. Do you think this was giving somewhat of a political and religious stance during a time of such immense change?
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I too find the detailed depictions of the Northern Renaissance pleasing. It is interesting that in a time and place that was trying to extinguished religious idolatry much of the art (including this piece) still conveyed religious symbolism on a small level. You bring up an interesting point though about the shift in ideas about personal beauty. Too what extent have those views changed? I would argue that aside from literal fads, views of personal beauty have not changed much with time.
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I like this self portrait of Durer that you choose because of the head on posture. I find that even at a time when Humanism was affecting much of art styles during the Renaissance this portrait does have similar perspective of that of Christ or other wealthy or politically powerful people of the time. I wonder if Durer painted himself this way because of the symbolism or if he was just pleased with the way he looked at this angle? The details in this painting are so tiny and must have been extremely difficult to accomplish. I like the details you see and feel were important to share, his tossed hair, the luster in the fur, these are small details I would not have seen had you not pointed them out. I am also glad you mentioned Durer’s painting Young Hare, I think this painting is exceptionally grand with tiny details. I love he whiskers and small thins hairs on the rabbits face, what great details!
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