The true life of artist: Albrecht Dürer 

This essay around the life could be useless, because the artists are human and hence they has had same problems that every men has had, whereby the question is, how can we know it? An source are the letters of Albrecht Dürer(1471-1528) from Venice, during 1506; some step of the first letters attests it: “I know how much you do for me. And I beg of you be patient with my debt…”, the addresses is Wilibald Pirckheimer(1470-1530), student and humanistic from Nuremberg, and the worry of Dürer is evident in this step: “…for I think oftener of it than you do. As soon as God helps me to get home I will pay you honourably, with many thanks; for I have to paint a picture for the Germans, for which they are giving me no Rhenish gulden…”, the steps of this letter are necessary to understand that also who was busied in art was very human, Nietzsche(1844-1900) would say Human too, mentioning the title of one his book, but it is so, because Dürer asks patience to his debt and he specifis that: “I shall have finished laying and scraping the ground-work in eight days, then I shall at once begin to paint…”; from this step we can understand that also the work of painter, evidently wasn’t so good paid; we can deduct it from a step of this letter where he says that: “…and scraping the ground-work”, if he has been rich he wouldn’t have worked the ground then I shall at once begin to paint, and if God will, it shall be in its place for the altar a month after Easter …”; evidently the debt was serious, because he gives the assurances to his creditor, and more: “The money I hope, if God will, to put by; and from that I will pay you… for I think that I need not send my mother and wife any money at present;”, and the saving is very important for Dürer because he specified that: “I left 10 florins with my mother when I came away; she has since got 9 or 10 florins by selling works of art. Dratzieher has paid her 12 florins, and I have sent her 9 florins by Sebastian Imhof, of which she has to pay Pfinzing and Gartner 7 florins for rent. I gave my wife 12 florins and she got 13 more at Frankfort, making all together 23 florins…”; these very boring list of gains is necessary to documents that the life of an artist was very precarious because the artists were very much, and the concurrence was very strong; therefore we can welcome the artists and say to them: “Welcome to humankind”, but they would answer: “We are already in human gender you have daified us”, and they would have right, we are the burk; we can also comment that he could save the voyage in Venice, certainly but we must think that this journey were necessary to get inspiration to his job. But evidently beyond the inspiration is also the pride and the happiness to visit Venice, we would ask it to Dürer directly, but he is died, sometime occurs, and hence we can understand it for letters from Venice, he says: “…is well known, but that does not bother them have many good friends among the Italians who warn me not to eat and drink with their painters for many of them are my enemies and copy my work in the churches and wherever they can find it…”; we can think that is a note of custom, but the pride emerges from following words: “and copy my work in the churches…”, certainly some influence, on Giovanni Bellini(1430-1516), Giorgio from Castefranco, called Giorgione(1478-1510) and Tiziano Vecellio(1488-1576), because he painted in the Venetian church of Saint Bartholomew between years 1506-1507; but the influence was reciprocal, because the light of Dürer for this altarpiece is Venetian, and the composition, with Virgin on half of composition, is Venetian; in fact the Giorgione has followed Venetian composition for the altarpiece of Castelfranco; this reciprocity is natural in painting, the influences are natural, above all when a painter has success, therefore every costumer wanted a painting that equal the famous painter. But beyond the influences Dürer is a man and thereupon thought to gain, hence the step in regard the selling, in fact he summary describes the gain: “  First my willing service to you, dear Herr Pirkheimer. If things go well with you, then I am indeed glad. Know, too, that by the grace of God I am doing well and working fast. Still I do not expect to have finished before Whitsuntide. I have sold all my pictures except one. For two I got 24 ducats, and the other three I gave for these three rings, which were valued in the exchange as worth 24 ducats…”, other note that we can consider is that the endeavor of painters both in Venice and everywhere was the same, because the competition was very strong, and the note in regard human rapports is fleeting, but meaningful: “…but I have shown them to some good friends and they say they are only worth 22, and as you wrote to me to buy you some jewels…”, the simple words of a letter, whereby nothing that can interest, but if we consider good the words, that are fleeting, this is: “some good friends…”, because alone some? Evidently in endeavor of painters was already the privilege to have some friend, it is normal in contest of business, where good friends aren’t, but I among painters it can think that it is possible, but the restrict number, stressed from partitive adjective “some” shows that the completion was very hard, and the confirm of this opinion is reading the follow words: “And I have such a crowd of foreigners (Italians) about me that I am forced sometimes to shut myself up, and the gentlemen all wish me well, but few of the painters.”, where the confirm? Simple during the last words: “but few of the painters”, few is adjective that indicates a quantity very scant, therefore we are right that the endeavor of artists was a competitive. Following the read episodes and meaningful step of difficult condition emerges in 8^th march 1506, is evident that also to get the colors was argument of negotiation, this step shows it: “…and only after much entreaty could I get it for i8 ducats 4 marcelli from a man who was wearing it on his own hand and who let me have it as a favor…”; hence also the buy of a ring is a problem; but after the same ring is sold: “And as soon as I had bought it a German goldsmith wanted to give me 3 ducats more for it than I paid so I hope that you will like it”, this certainly boring steps are necessary to consider that the Renaissance beyond the exposition of art works, it was always same for money, and also a gift is motive to tell some episode, and above all the price. The nature of seller of Dürer is in other step where he prides his gift but with price: “Everybody says that it is a good stone, and that in Germany it would be worth about 50 florins”, but the nature of aspirant seller that Dürer wasn’t is in this step: “…however, you will know whether they tell truth orlies. I understand nothing about it.”, and the human nature is present in every town because the art of deceive is always present, thereupon: “had first of all bought an amethyst for 12 ducats from a man whom I thought was a good friend, but he deceived me, for it was not worth 7…”; the honesty is privilege. We can also know what is the price of an altarpiece that Dürer painted for Germans merchants in Venice, in 1506, a step of this letter says that: “They have summoned me three times before the magistrates, and I have had to pay 4 florins to their School. You must know too that I might have gained much money if I had not undertaken to make the painting for the Germans, for there is a great deal of work in it and I cannot well finish it before Whitsuntide; yet they only pay me 85 ducats for it.”, it is alone a note that hasn’t relevance, because important is that the work is present, but also know the price leads us to consider that evidently in Venice the company of the German merchants was very active and dynamic, because we must think that Venice was a city very rich for its merchants, hence the Germans were very relevant community. From these letters emerges also an human side, because Dürer in a letter of 25^th April says: “First my willing service to you, dear Sir. I Venice wonder why you do not write to me…”, it is the worry of Dürer that I have confused for 10 minutes how the human side, but this conviction is invalidated very soon in following letter, where is evident the motive of this preoccupation, because the addressee was certainly financier of journey of Dürer, and we can hypothesize it from compliment and praises that he given to Pirkheimer: “ 28th August, 1506.To the first greatest man in the world; your servant and slave, Alberto Dürer, sends salutation to his magnificent Master Wilibaldo Pirkamer. By my faith, I hear gladly and with great pleasure of your health and great honor, and I marvel how it is possible for a man like you to stand against so many…”, and that Pirkamer was the financier is proved from following words: “Thank you, too, for everything you are doing for me…”, certainly it was the money necessary. The money is the lack in every time and context, and for Dürer isn’t exception and the following words explained it: “But I cannot get away from here in two months, for I have not enough money yet to start myself off… as I have written to you before; and so I pray you if my mother comes to you for a loan, let her have lo florins till God helps me out”, evidently Dürer had not money, and it is evident, but other new emerges, and we can hypothesize that by now the sojourn in Venice was finished, because evidently nothing could attract Dürer; and the correct behavior emerges, because he promises to pay the debt: “Then I will scrupulously repay you the whole.”, Dürer has had also other friends that could give the money because he mentioned in this letter a German rich merchant Anton Kolb, that employed Jacopo de’ Barbari(1460-1516), that wanted a xylography very great of Venice to sell it in Germany; we can know this merchant alone to letters of Dürer. Other note is that also an artist could kept rapports typically speculative, in financier acceptation, because the two carpets, this new is in following words, that aren’t certainly very scant interesting, but it give other information about the preference of north Europe for Venice, as for commission to de’ Barbari, above mentioned: “And as for the two carpets, Anthon Kolb will help me to buy the most beautiful, from the broadest, and the cheapest.”. A new certainly important for print art is in the following words: A book printer of whom I enquired tells me that he knows of no Greek books that have been brought out recently…”; we can think that this Greek book was a printed of greatest typographer of 16^th century, this is Aldo Manuzio(1449-1515), that worked in Venice and there is died. The appreciations are certainly very important to an artist but nobody lives for praises, and it is reminded from Dürer: “  I have got much praise but little profit by it.”, but the human pride emerges from following words: “I have shut up all the painters, who used to say that I was good at engraving, but that in painting I didn't know how to handle my colors.”; it is typical reaction of every men in front of offense or belittle, that are considered always offences, whereby Dürer has reaction typical not alone of an artist, but of every men, and the satisfaction after this judge is: “Now they all say they never saw better coloring.”, we can think that this reaction of Venetian artists was determined from envy. May this condition o was valid alone to Dürer in Venice because in same letter he said: “You need not lend my wife and mother anything .They have got money enough.”; evidently the sojourn of Albert alone was difficult. This friend of Dürer, evidently have to be much appreciated because in letter of 23th September 1506 he has written: “Your letter telling me of the overflowing praise that you received from princes and nobles gave me great allegrezza(it is happiness)”, evidently this financier was esteemed from much princes and noblemen, above all because he can give loans, because the commends are alone for this. In the same letter he mentions other painting: “I must do likewise when I meet you again. Know also that my picture is finished, likewise another quadro(painting), the like of which I never made before.” We can hypothesize that these painting that Albert has mentioned are one portrait of the young man from Venice and other painting that without the summary description of subject we can’t identify. But in other letter in 23th September 1506 the subject is mentioned: “Know also that in four weeks at the latest I shall be finished here, for I have to paint first some portraits…”, and we can think that at last one of these portraits is of Venetian  young woman. The contradiction is evident because some letters ago he has denied a loan to his mother and wife because he have enough money, but now he says: “The other day I found a grey hair on my head, which was produced by sheer misery and annoyance.”; this grievance is may alone for economical condition that Albert lived in Venice, but the future evidently wasn’t so happy: “I am fated to have evil days”. , but in some occasion Albert can also hint to some gain: “As for your plea that I should come home quickly, I will come just as soon as I can ; but I must first gain money for my expenses. I have paid out about 100 ducats for colors and other things, and I have ordered two carpets which I shall pay for tomorrow…”, evidently there was the job, and it is proofed through the same letter, above all the steps: “I have paid out about 100 ducats for colors and other things, and I have ordered two carpets…”; for colors it is a right expense, but the carpets is very useless, but evidently the commissions to him were. And the following step is more clear: “…but I could not get them cheap.”, but if your economy is very scant you must buy it to cheap, or your economy wasn’t so poor? From following words it seems no, because to engage a master of dancing is very anomalous for the poor artist: “Know, too, that I decided to learn dancing and went twice to the school, for which I had to pay the master a ducat.”. Dürer hasn’t forgotten his principal job, this is the artist because he wanted go to travel to Bologna where a man taught to him perspective: “After that I should like to travel to Bologna to learn the secrets of the art of perspective, which a man there is willing to teach me.” The diary of his sojourn in the Low countries, from 1520 to 1521, is begun with a job, because he has told that, in July 1520: “…and presented to the Bishop a painted Virgin and a "Life of the Virgin," an "Apocalypse," and a florin's worth of engravings.”, Naturally the bishop has asked to him because his fame of engraver was very wide; but the ideal of theology must be tied to earth, hence the practical life must be provided, thereupon the money are considered, and the spends  are punctually signed: “I paid 6 florins in gold to the boatmen who took me from Bamberg to Frankfurt.”      

 

Alessandro Lusana    

   

 

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