Albrecht Durer created some very exquisite self-portraits in his day and it is clear to see that he was greatly inspired by Italian art, especially when looking at his self-portrait from 1493. When I look at this portrait and think about the different details used, I can't help but be reminded of Jan Van Eyck's paintings. Just as Durer did in his self portraits, Van Eyck would place an inscriptions somewhere within his painting to get more of a meaning behind the painting across to its viewers. In Durer's self-portrait in 1493, he inscribes in another language, "My affairs shall go on ordained on high." This portrait was created for his fiance. He sent it to her while he was away to reassure her that he was okay and still faithful. In Jan Van Eyck's "Portrait of Giovanni Arnolfini and His Wife," he inscribes his signature in the background on a wall. Naturalism was a big part of Italian art and we definitely see it here in Durer's self-portrait. He did not try to portray himself as an idealized figure with large muscles and a young face. Instead, he depicted himself as being the ordinary man he was. He is wearing a very prestigious outfit in the portrait but he was looking to show his fiance that he was happy and healthy. When looking at many pieces from Italian art, we see a lot of dark colors and reds standing out from these darker shades. Durer's self-portrait does the same thing with his choice in color. There are very dark colors surrounding him and the one color that grabs the eyes attention is the red that is on his clothing. Again, Van Eyck shows us this contrast in color in his portrait of the "Man in a Red Turban." The colors within the portrait are very dark and bland but the eye is caught by the red turban that sits upon the mans head just as the eye is caught by the headpiece of Durer's head or the cuffs of Durer's sleeves. Another attribute that we see in Durer's portrait that relates to Italian art is his use of the three-quarters pose. In Italian portraits, people were hardly ever seen as facing the viewer head on. Instead, they would sit with their body slightly turned. We see the three-quarters pose used in Jean Hey's "Portrait of Margaret of Austri and Van Eyck's portrait of the "Man in a Red Turban" serves as another example. Creating portraits or having a portrait created became a popular thing in Italy to pass on a memory or to just have a portrait painted by a famous artist. Durer seemed to enjoy portraiture considering that he went on to do more self-portraits of himself. Durer was known for taking many trips to Italy which probably gave him inspiration. When I look at his work, I can't help but compare him to Jan Van Eyck, one of Italy's most prominent artists. Looking at his color scheme, inscriptions, naturalism, and use of the three-quarters pose, Albrecht Durer must have went to Italy and found his inspiration there.
There are some similarities between Durer and Van Eyck. For the sake of clarity, though, I want to emphasize that van Eyck is actually a Northern painter (he was from Flanders). That being said, I still think you can discuss the three-quarter pose in relation to Italian art, since it was a popular convention in Italy during the High and Late Renaissance.
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What I really like about Durer is that he later took portraiture to the next level with the frontal pose. I never liked the profile pose, and the three quarter is interesting; but the frontal pose is so much more dramatic and intense! Especially Durer's frontally posed self-portrait because he has the likeness of Christ.
ReplyDeleteI can also see the similarities between Dürer and Van Eyck. I also agree with Brooke that Dürer did take the frontal pose to the next level. His self portrait with the frontal pose is extremely powerful and has so much emotions coming out of it that effects the viewer. I found it very interesting, like Brooke said, that this protrait was so Christlike. It just showed to me that he was so full of himself and all he is.
ReplyDeleteAlbrecht Durer's work is notably similar to Van Eyck's because they both were influenced by Italian styles and show these characteristics in their works. I wonder why Durer depicted himself in prestigious clothes, but not as a painter.
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