180 Seconds of Art History – Episode 1: Albrecht Durer’s Sketchbook

Smart With Art Presents
180 Seconds of Art History
Episode 1: Albrecht Durer’s Sketchbook

Written and Produced by Grant Thomas ( http://grantthomasonline.com )
Music Help from Robin Heltsley
Video Intro Footage by Vidveo ( http://www.videvo.net/video/blue-and-pink-ink-flows/3762 )
Theme Music by Dave Depper ( http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Dave_Depper/Compositions_3/The_Wonder )

Transcript:

Albrecht Durer was a Renaissance artist. The Renaissance was a rediscovery of art, architecture, and philosophy of Ancient Greece and Rome. People during the Renaissance were also really interested in studying nature and learning all they could from the natural world.

Artists like Albrecht Dürer made many drawings of animals and plants. Remember, this was before photography was invented, so if you wanted to look at animal, you either had to have the animal in front of you, or you had to have a drawing of the animal.

Albrecht Dürer filled his sketchbooks with drawings of animals he had observed. Imagine how difficult this might have been. You can’t exactly ask an animal to sit still while you draw them, can you?

Another thing Albrecht Dürer used his sketchbook for, was practicing drawing difficult things that he wanted to include in more finished works of art. For instance, perhaps sketching this pair of feet, helped him accurately draw the feet of the man in this etching he made later.

Albrecht Dürer drew in his sketchbook to help him observe nature and to help him improve his drawing skills.

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