Styles And Experiences Of Albrecht Durer And Jan Van Eyck

1052 Words3 Pages

Sarah Bass April 4, 2014
An Influential Pair

In the time of the Northern Renaissance, up and coming artists emerged and left an impression on the style and technique of artisans that followed as they strived to equal the excellence and achievement of Albrecht Durer and Jan van Eyck. The word “renaissance” literally means a rebirth. In this context, it means the rebirth of an appreciation and creation of art. In the Northern European countries like Germany and Belgium aspiring artists thrived. Both Jan van Eyck and Albrecht Durer came from the North and continued to build on the renaissance movement started in Italy by carrying it into these countries. They contributed new methods of painting, schools of art, and new works of art that were revered and noted for their craftsmanship. The dedication and talent of both artists was noticed by European society, and their contributions to the people of noble birth and others was immense. Their examples of new techniques and styles and also the reviving of old and ancient ideas helped make them some of the most influential artists of their time. The similar style of art being produced, contrasting materials used, and attention to detail displayed by both Northern Renaissance artists Albrecht Durer and Jan van Eyck helped inspire and further the momentum of the Northern Renaissance.
The jobs and experiences of both Dürer and van Eyck in their early years helped shape their connections and success later in life. Jan van Eyck was born in what is now Belgium around 1390. Albrecht Dürer was born in Nuremberg, Germany in 1471, a time when the city was in the midst of a change from its previous more gothic style to a new style of Humanism in favor of the Renaissance. ...

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...e back wall of the room in his painting. This painting was one of the first Both made the stylistic choice to monogram their names into their paintings.

Both Jan van Eyck and Albrecht Dürer were different because they used different materials, worked within different genres and had different jobs. Van Eyck is credited with being the first artist to work with oil paints. Oil paints were made of finely ground materials like a flower, that had bright natural color, and then those pigments were put into a liquid form that would dry into paint. This paint could be used
-creates a strong surface and can be used as a thin layer for glazes or a thick layers for impasto
-can be built up in thing translucent layers like a varnish to make areas of glowing color or worked into fine details
- van Eyck mastered giving the illusion of glowing sunlight and using oil paints

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