Renaissance Art: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) by Johnson Geraldine A

Author:Johnson, Geraldine A [Johnson, Geraldine A]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: 2005-04-20T16:00:00+00:00

In this image, the artist showcases his incredible technical skill through precisely rendered details such as his shiny, curling hair and the individual tufts discernible on his luxurious fur-trimmed collar. Perhaps even more significantly, Dürer portrays himself in a full-frontal pose, which recalls earlier iconic portraits of God the Father as Salvator Mundi, or Saviour of the World. Combined with the prominently displayed, semi-millennial date of 1500 painted above the artist’s initials to the left of his head, this suggests that Dürer may be trying to forge a deliberate visual link between artistic and divine creativity. The artist, in other words, has now become a god and, like God himself, he too can conjure up the world and all its inhabitants in his art – a theme we will consider at greater length in the ninth chapter. In the context of portraiture as a genre, however, this daring display of artistic self-confidence, perhaps even hubris, highlights the important connections that exist between this art form and new Renaissance attitudes towards individuality, originality, and creativity.

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