Artist of the Reformation

Artist of the Reformation

The Story of Albrecht Durer

by Joyce McPherson
Publisher: Greenleaf Press
Trade Paperback, 118 pages
Price: $12.95

Historical Setting: Germany, 1471-1528 A.D.

A biography of Albrecht Dürer, one of the most influential artists of the Renaissance and Reformation. In addition to creating hundreds of engravings, woodcuts, drawings, and paintings, he wrote books on geometry, fortification, and human proportions. He explored the meaning of beauty in his art textbook, which was called Food for Young Artists. The Christian worldview which he brought to the field of art is still relevant today.

Durer was counted among the leading intellectuals of the sixteenth-century. He witnessed the coming Reformation and made the acquaintance of men such as Erasmus, Martin Luther, Melanchthon, and the Emperor Maximilian. Though he created works of art for wealthy patrons, he made his woodcuts affordable for ordinary people. In this way, Durer brought the Bible to a wide audience through his brilliant illustrations of the book of Revelation and other themes.

This biography includes over twenty illustrations by Albrecht Durer, who wrote: "Painting is a useful art when it is of a godly sort and employed for holy edification." The life and art of Durer is food not only for young artists, but for all who seek beauty and truth.

This book is written on a 5th-6th grade reading level, but younger children will enjoy having it read aloud to them.

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