Seven German Altars 4 The St Florian Altar Of Albrecht Altdorfer

Author : Christopher S. Wood
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
ISBN 13 : 9780226906010
Total Pages : 330 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (6 download)

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Download or read book Albrecht Altdorfer and the Origins of Landscape written by Christopher S. Wood and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 1993-12 with total page 330 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Altdorfer's landscapes offer a densely textured interpretation of that quintessentially German place, the forest interior. As Wood explains, however, these scenes far from doctrinally innocent: the forest that Altdorfer painted, drew, and etched is both a refuge from Christian rites and a mythical setting of idolatry. In producing his landscapes, Altdorfer flaunted and exaggerated the formal principles of a regional pictorial tradition. Wood demonstrates that the abrasive surface effects, incessant ornamental movement, and structural impenetrability of these pictures make them the incunabula of a self-resistance to literal readings, Altdorfer's landscapes also resemble the exactly contemporary pastorals and allegories of Giovanni Bellini, Lorenzo Lotto, and Giorgione. Because of Altdorfer's influence on the next generation of German and Netherlandish artists, his work forms a crucial link between Northern religious imagery and the modern development of landscape of a genre.