Read pages 314 -316 from Discovering Art History and answer the following questions.
1.
Who were the strongest influences of the German artists?
Explain why. (2 points)
Van Eyck and van der Weyden were strong influences. The German artists looked to Flanders for inspiration instead of Italy, due to the Italian use of nude figures and monumental forms based on antiquity, which they found strange.
2.
When did Germany become the leader in art in Northern Europe?
During the early 16 th century (early 1500s).
1.
What rank did Dürer hold in the German High Renaissance?
He was the leader.
2.
What did Dürer do that was unusual at the time? (2 points)
He dated and signed his work in order to raise his status as an artist, not a craftsperson.
3.
As a Northern artist, what was Dürer the first to do? (4 points)
The answer to the question is throughout the text.
 Traveled to Italy to study Italian art
 Very consciously documented himself in a series of self-portraits
4.
Dürer strongly agreed with Da Vinci? What did they both believe?
(2 points)
 They believed that sight was our most important faculty
 Through looking, truth is revealed
5.
Describe the characteristics of Dürer’s Self-Portrait, 1498 in point form. (5 points)
 Elegantly dressed
 Face is serious, which reflects his seriousness towards being an artistic reformer.

 Italian influence may be seen in the pose and presence of a landscape through the window
 The lines are still very German and distinctively Dürer: o Hair is treated as individual lines o The crisp folds and edges of his clothes o Faint outline of hands and face.
6.
What were Dürer’s two main subjects?
Self-portraits and animals
7.
What is considered to be Dürer’s masterpiece?
Four Apostles, ca. 1526
8.
Explain how the Italian Renaissance has influenced Dürer’s artwork.
The solidness and weight of the figures
9.
Which forms of printmaking did Dürer use?
Woodcut and copper engraving
10.
What was original and unique about Dürer’s technique? (3 points)
 He was one of the first artists in the Western world to use woodcut as a major medium.
 Style was extremely precise
 Instead of using single lines, he massed fine lines together to produce gray-valued areas.
11.
What is Dürer’s copperplate masterpiece?
Knight, Death and the Devil, 1513
12.
Explain the symbolism in this engraving.
 Knight = Christian warrior, who fears no evil and rides ahead without paying attention to Death or the Devil.
 Death = Holds an hourglass
 Devil = a monster or hideous form
13.
How did Dürer create a variety of darks in his engravings? (3 points)
Used incised lines to outline as well as crosshatch.