Mastery of Oil Painting

 Christ-like poser?

The Italian Renaissance and the Northern Renaissance have some similarities and some differences. The similarities between the Italian and the Northern Renaissance were humanism, realism, and the importance of religion. 

The Northern Renaissance differed from the Italian Renaissance in a few ways. One difference was that the Northern Renaissance was more detailed in its visual arts because of the mastery of oil painting. The Northern Renaissance didn't really have much emphasis on classical antiquities also because they couldn't see them in real life. One of the artists that were part of the Northern Renaissance was Albrecht Dürer. 

Albrecht Dürer was a German painter and theorist of the German Renaissance. One of Dürer's works of art that stood out to me was his Self-Portrait at Twenty-Eight which was painted in 1500 during the Northern Renaissance period. This was one of several self-portrait paintings by Dürer.

Self-Portrait at Twenty-Eight (1500) by Albrecht Dürer; location Alte Pinakothek

At first glance, I was under the impression that this was a portrait of Jesus Christ because of his warm and gentle face along with his nice curly brown hair. Even how his right hand is raised up to his chest makes it look more like Christ. The way he also looks at us with those sort of serious but loving eyes makes me think of Christ. This portrait however is a self-portrait by Albrecht Dürer made in 1500. 

Why does Dürer make himself look like Christ? First of all, I don't think Dürer is trying to make himself look like Christ, I think he is trying to showcase his unbelievable oil painting skills. In this work of art, Dürer makes great use of oil, allowing there to be amazing details and color. Like how he uses brown for his garment, hair, and the fur on his garment. Even if they are all brown, I can tell them apart very easily because of how clear they are. 

Dürer also uses symmetry by placing him in the middle and how his hair is down on both sides which makes it enjoying to look at. The top that he is wearing seems to be like a soft brown leather lined with some sort of soft fur on the zipper area which shows us that he isn't poor. The use of that fur creates a feeling of warmness and even the urge of feeling it. 

This work of art by Dürer really shows humanism. Humanism came from Florence and was a philosophical belief that was focused on one's self or achievements. Humanism emphasis was also towards human spirit and beauty. This Self-Portrait at Twenty-Eight by Dürer shows both spirit and beauty, which I like. 

During the Northern Renaissance, there was iconoclasm which was a destruction of things that didn't seem religiously correct. There was also the Protestant Reformation led by Martin Luther because of how corrupt the church was. With a lot of things going on with the church, I don't know if they saw this piece of work by Dürer inappropriate or not because of how it looks like Christ. 

Aside from that, I think this work of art by Albrecht Dürer is aesthetically pleasing even from the first glance. Even after looking at it close-up and in detail, I find this work of art amazing, like I would want to own a copy of it. Out of all the self-portraits by Dürer, I find this Self-Portrait at Twenty-Eight the best one because of how real it looks. 

Works Cited

“Self-Portrait (Dürer, Munich).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 20 Sept. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-Portrait_(Dürer,_Munich).

“Alte Pinakothek.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 12 Sept. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alte_Pinakothek.