Albrecht Dürer

The Great Piece of Turf

Today is the anniversary of the death of the German painter, engraver, printmaker, mathematician, and theorist from Nuremberg, Albrecht Dürer.
Dürer's work was extraordinary, and by the time he was in his 20's, he was already quite famous.
While he was known for his calm demeanor and introversion, his work conveyed profound emotion.
During Dürer's lifetime, explorers were collected exotic plants and bulbs and bringing them home to the Old World, where they caused a sensation. The botanical focus began to shift away from plants as medicine to plants as ornamentation and beauty.
Dürer was not immune to the artistic perspective on plants, and his work captured plants with an incredible amount of detail that was unmatched by previous drawings.
If you're looking for bunny art, you should check out Dürer's watercolor called Young Hare. It's a beautiful piece, remarkable for its accuracy and realism.
One of Dürer's most famous pieces is called The Great Piece of Turf (German: Das große Rasenstück), which he created in 1503. This watercolor shows a grouping of natural plants as Dürer had observed them in nature. There is a grass that has gone to seed, plantain, and dandelion. From a botanical art standpoint, Dürer's Turf is a masterpiece, highly regarded for the realistic depiction of plants living together in community.
 


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Albrecht Dürer
Albrecht Dürer

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