Spotlight on artist Albrecht Durer

In 2008 I took two art classes, figure drawing and art history. For my final paper for art history, I choose to study a German artist that I took a liking too. Maybe it was his long hair... Maybe it was his darkness...Here is my report in short on a work of art that I have been intrigued by for many years and continue to be each time I look at it...

Way back in the 5th century, a Greek named,  Polyklietos came up with a canon of human proportions for marble statues. In the renaissance period, it was Da Vinci who furthered this canon with his famous Vitruvian man. It was then later adapted by Albrecht Durer.  

Albrecht Durer was an extremely skilled draughtsman. He completed an apprenticeship in goldworking as well as stain glass and woodcuts, but it was his drawings that made him renowned. Durer studied and practiced geometry obsessively. He became obsessed with measurements- this is how he elevated German painting and drawing- his painstaking precision for nailing the human figures and proportions- they were so convincing and dynamic, he would set the tone and bar for other artists to follow.

Here is a close up of the four horsemen. Each horse meant something different. The white horse is for conquest, the red horse is for war, with the rider wielding a sword and the black horse is for famine and plague and the pale horse is for death. This image is a depiction from the book of revelation in the bible...the riders trampling over the helpless is quiet evoking of a mood. I believe only stellar art done by a hand that is truly involved emotionally in a piece conveys such emotion. Although Albrecht clearly has a strong hand in superior drawing skills. I could only practice for my life time to be exemplary like Durer in the matter of what he figured out in a mere few months.