Albrecht Dürer was a German painter, printmaker, and theorist of the German Renaissance. Born on May 21, 1471, in Nuremberg, he was the third child and second son of Hungarian-born goldsmith Albrecht Dürer the Elder and Barbara Holle, daughter of a Nuremberg goldsmith.
Dürer's father wanted him to continue the family tradition as a goldsmith, but recognizing his son's talent for drawing, he allowed Albrecht to apprentice with Michael Wolgemut, a leading artist in Nuremberg, from 1486 to 1490. During this period, Dürer was exposed to various artistic techniques, including woodcutting, which would later become one of his signature mediums.
After his apprenticeship, Dürer traveled to Colmar and Basel, where he encountered the works of Martin Schongauer and was deeply influenced by Italian Renaissance art. His first trip to Italy in 1494-95 introduced him to the works of Mantegna, Leonardo da Vinci, and others, significantly impacting his artistic development.
Dürer's work had a profound impact on the development of art in Northern Europe, blending the detailed realism of the Northern Renaissance with the humanist ideas of the Italian Renaissance. His innovations in printmaking techniques and his theoretical works set standards that influenced artists for centuries. He died on April 6, 1528, in Nuremberg, leaving behind a vast collection of works that continue to be studied and admired.