Valley Kalchreuth

Albrecht Durer was a renowned German painter who wore many hats. He was also a theorist and mathematician. One of his famous works is the Valley Kalchreuth painting. He painted it in the year 1495 using the Northern Renaissance style.

The Northern Renaissance style was mainly used in Europe during the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries. It was marked by steady shifts from the conventional forms of the medieval period. Most paintings created from this style had biblical scenes, and Albrecht was not left behind. Most of his paintings during this period employed the Northern Renaissance style. They include the Great Passion, Holy Family and Saints, and the Seven Sorrows Polyptych. The Valley Kalchreuth painting is a picture of a valley. The valley seems to have a lot of green vegetation growing with a couple of trees to break the monotony. Also, some hills at the back, flow flawlessly, thus making the painting a sight for sore eyes.

The painting sets a relatively calm theme. Since Albrecht’s first contact with art was in the woodcutting environment. He developed love and cared for nature. He loved the environment, and thus this affection drove him to paint this picture. The painting was his way of appreciating Mother Nature and all her aspects. As seen, the picture has well-toned details of some green vegetation and some hills. The painting is currently located at Kupferstichkabinett Berlin, Germany. Since the painter was originally from Germany, this painting was retained as a symbol of heritage. Further, it is also important to note that this painting depicted a municipality in Bavaria, Germany, called Kalchreuth. Albrecht did his best to bring out the beautiful setting this small town sat on.

After Albrecht released his painting, other painters also started coming up with similar drawings. For instance, in 1520, Joachim Patinir painted St Jerome in Rocky Landscape. This painting also used the Northern Renaissance style and employed the oil and panel medium. It is currently on display at the National Gallery in London, UK. Additionally, during this time, Albrecht also produced three more paintings similar to nature. They include: View of Kalchreut, View of Nuremberg and View of Acro Valley in the Tyrol. During his tours to Italy between 1495 and 1505, Albrecht was exposed to paintings of great men like Antonio Pollaiuolo, Lorenzo di Credi and Mantegna. He may have drawn some inspiration or lessons to perfect his craft from this trio. Further, Durer once stated that his favourite artist was Giovanni Bellini, and it was very likely that he got his motivation and inspiration from him.