Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528)Albrecht Dürer was trained by his father as a goldsmith. In the workshop of Michael Wolgemut, he became acquainted with paintingPrintA print is a work of art in the form of an impression. A graphic artist transfers a design onto a support - a copperplate or a block of wood. The lines that make up the drawing are then coloured with ink. The illustration is subsequently impressed onto paper in a press. The result is a print. This technique allows dozens, even hundreds of impressions of a single picture to be made. Various types of print exist. The principal varieties are engravings, etchings, lithographs, wood- or linocuts, dry-point prints and mezzotints. and engraving. He concluded his training with a period of travelling and then settled in his native Nuremberg. Dürer journeyed to Italy where he saw the innovations of the Renaissance first-hand. He brought this modernisation to the North. For example, he wrote about human anatomy and ideal proportions. He played a crucial role in engraving. He developed in his engravingsEngravingEngraving is the earliest form of print making. A copperplate engraving is made by scratching the design onto the copper with a burin - a steel needle with a wooden handle. The engraver works away from the body, producing regular lines ending in a characteristic point. Ink applied to the copperplate enters the incised lines and is transferred to the paper with a press - the deeper the cut, the darker the line. Hatching and cross-hatching are used to create halftones and shadows. A single engraving can be use for some 300 high-quality and 300 reasonable prints. After that, the copper plate becomes too worn. and woodcutsWoodcutThe woodcut is based on the relief printing process, the design being carved on the wood block in relief, as on a stamp. The impression, or print, is also referred to as a woodcut. Tools required to make a woodcut include gouges (curved chisels) and woodcarving knives. Wherever white areas are required in the print, the artist cuts away the wood, leaving the lines and planes in the picture. The ink is applied with a dabber - a sturdy cushion - or a roller onto the block. a refined crosshatchingHatchingClose parallel or crisscrossed lines in a picture is known as hatching. This is used in prints and drawings to depict shade and to portray rounded forms. The word 'hatching' comes from the French 'harcher', meaning to cut into pieces. technique with which he could masterfully suggest volumes and grey tones. |
