Book Description
In the early sixteenth century, almost without warning, Albrecht Altdorfer promoted landscape from its traditionally supplementary role to the center of the picture field. Christopher S. Wood shows how Altdorfer (c. 1480-1538) transformed what had been the mere setting for sacred and historical figures into a principal venue for stylish draftsmanship and idiosyncratic painterly effects.
Albrecht Altdorfer and the Origins of Landscape FROM THE PUBLISHER
The first independent landscapes in European art were produced in southern Germany in the early 16th century by Albrecht Altdorfer of Regensburg (c. 1480 - 1538). Entirely empty of subject matter, and elevating the natural world from its more usual pictorial role as a setting, Altdorfer's masterful landscapes mark the origins of a self-consciously German style. Christopher Wood's richly illustrated -assessment of his impact is a crucial contribution to the lit-erature on Northern Renaissance art.