Dürer: His Life and Works

Albrecht Dürer is one of the most famous men of the Renaissance time period, being especially prominent in Germany. Dürer made huge contributions to the art forms of the age, including painting, sketching, woodcutting, and engraving. He was a true Renaissance man in that he was skilled in many different areas. He wasn’t just a prominent artist, but a prominent thinker. The human body and its proportions intrigued him. “He wrote Four Books of Human Proportion… [and] an introductory manual of geometric theory for students which includes the first scientific treatment of perspective by a Northern European artist.” Two of these books form the basis of this exhibit. Here, we will look specifically at Hierinn sind begriffen vier Bucher von menschlicher Proportion (Symmetry of the Human Body), which is one of the four books Dürer wrote on human porportions, and Unterveisung der Messung (Instruction on Measurement). These books are currently housed in Utah State University's Special Collections and Archives.