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Albrecht Altdorfer Essay

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The Life and Most Famous Work of Albrecht Altdorfer Many famous artists emerged from the renaissance, including artists such as da Vinci, Raphael, Botticelli, Titian, and so on. An interesting thing to note about artists like these is that not many of them painted landscapes; they mostly painted religious, war, and mythological characters and scenes. However, there was one artist who showed a particular interest in landscape painting during this time, and is considered by many to be the “first landscape painter in the modern sense.” (“Albrecht Altdorfer”) That artist was a German man named Albrecht Altdorfer. He was an incredible painter (“Albrecht Altdorfer”) who left a considerable impact on the world of art, and deserves far more recognition …show more content…

This painting has multiple names, including “The Battle of Alexander” and “The Battle of Alexander at Issus.” This painting from the year 1529 depicts (as one may assume) the victory of Alexander the Great over King Darius and his army in 333 B.C. at the battle of Issus. (Krén and Marx, “The Battle of Alexander”) An interesting thing to note, however, is that even though the battle took place in Turkey, the background depicts the Alps and some German cities. (Krén and Marx, “The Battle of Alexander”) It’s somewhat difficult to tell apart the troops as the battle is well underway and everyone is mixed together, but they can be told apart by their uniforms; the Macedonians are dressed in German armor, and the Persians are dressed in turbans and exotic clothing. (Krén and Marx, “The Battle of Alexander”) And the tablet floating about the battle claims that 100,000 Persian soldiers and 10,000 riders died in battle, and even though the actual death count was lower, it gets across the point that King Darius and his men suffered a crippling defeat. While this piece was certainly the pinnacle of his career, it was actually rather late in his life; nine years before his eventual death. However, this was not the last notable thing to happen in his late-life, so we continue on to his last few …show more content…

(Pioch) For some historical context, it was around this time (late 1530s) that John Calvin and his followers were expelled from Geneva. (“What Happened in 1538”) And with the end of Altdorfer’s life comes the end of this paper, aside from a few final

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