German

Date

n.d.

Creator

German
b. Germany, mid 16th C.
The German Renaissance, part of the Northern Renaissance, was a cultural and artistic movement that spread among German thinkers in the 15th and 16th centuries, which developed from the Italian Renaissance. Many areas of the arts and sciences were influenced, notably by the spread of Renaissance humanism to the various German states and principalities. There were many advances made in the fields of architecture, the arts, and the sciences. Germany produced two developments that were to dominate the 16th century all over Europe: printing and the Protestant Reformation. Artists working in 16th century germany included the pupils of Albrecht Durer. In December 1520 Dürer visited Zeeland and in April 1521 traveled to Bruges and Ghent, where he saw the works of the 15th-century Flemish masters. Dürer’s sketchbook of the Netherlands journey contains immensely detailed and realistic drawings. Dürer died in 1528, before it was clear that the split of the Reformation had become permanent, but his pupils of the following generation were unable to avoid taking sides. Most leading German artists became Protestants, but this deprived them of painting most religious works, previously the mainstay of artists' revenue. Martin Luther had objected to much Catholic imagery, but not to imagery itself, so the commissioning of portraits experienced a boom during the Reformation – as well as during the Counter-Reformation. Art of the Baroque era (c.1600-1700), including portrait art, was driven by several factors. First, the growing commercial strength of Holland, France, Spain, and Britain. Second, sponsorship of the visual arts by the Catholic Church in order to heighten its influence during the Counter-Reformation.

Citation

German, b. Germany, mid 16th C., and The German Renaissance, part of the Northern Renaissance, was a cultural and artistic movement that spread among German thinkers in the 15th and 16th centuries, which developed from the Italian Renaissance. Many areas of the arts and sciences were influenced, notably by the spread of Renaissance humanism to the various German states and principalities. There were many advances made in the fields of architecture, the arts, and the sciences. Germany produced two developments that were to dominate the 16th century all over Europe: printing and the Protestant Reformation. Artists working in 16th century germany included the pupils of Albrecht Durer. In December 1520 Dürer visited Zeeland and in April 1521 traveled to Bruges and Ghent, where he saw the works of the 15th-century Flemish masters. Dürer’s sketchbook of the Netherlands journey contains immensely detailed and realistic drawings. Dürer died in 1528, before it was clear that the split of the Reformation had become permanent, but his pupils of the following generation were unable to avoid taking sides. Most leading German artists became Protestants, but this deprived them of painting most religious works, previously the mainstay of artists' revenue. Martin Luther had objected to much Catholic imagery, but not to imagery itself, so the commissioning of portraits experienced a boom during the Reformation – as well as during the Counter-Reformation. Art of the Baroque era (c.1600-1700), including portrait art, was driven by several factors. First, the growing commercial strength of Holland, France, Spain, and Britain. Second, sponsorship of the visual arts by the Catholic Church in order to heighten its influence during the Counter-Reformation., “German,” UCSB ADA Museum Omeka, accessed November 22, 2024, http://art-collections.museum.ucsb.edu/items/show/3200.