Albrecht Dürer: A “German Leonardo” Among the most influential artists of the northern Renaissance was the German painter and printmaker Albrecht Dürer (DYOOR ur). In 1494, he made the first of several trips to Italy to study the works and techniques of Italian masters. At home, he employed the new methods in his own paintings, engravings, and prints. Through these works as well as his essays, Dürer helped spread Renaissance ideas to northern Europe.

Dürer had a keen, inquiring mind. Because of his wide-ranging interests, which extended far beyond art, he is sometimes called the “German Leonardo.”

Dürer is well-known for applying the painting techniques he had learned in Italy to engraving, a method of making prints from metal plates. In an engraving, an artist etches a design on a metal plate with acid. The artist then uses the plate to make prints. Many of Dürer’s engravings and paintings portray religious upheaval of the time.