Dürer, Albrecht (1471-1528)
Adam
1507
Oil on panel, 209 x 81 cm
Museo del Prado, Madrid
Dürer made this panel and its companion, Eve upon returning from his second trip to Italy in 1505. Both works constitute an effort to synthesize what he had learned there, in search of a balance between Italian and Germanic approaches that would permit the ideal perfection of the human body. Thus, the choice of a biblical subject here is mere pretext. Dürer‘s knowledge of the classical nude is prodigious, while the exactitude of his lines reveals the hand of a unique engraver rooted in the northern tradition. The growing Italian influence is visible in the monumental grandeur of his figures, while his Germanic orientation is clear in the colors, the precise details and a naturalist taste that is expressionist in nature. All this is further enlivened by his brilliant draftsman´s mind. This was a present from Queen Christine of Sweden to Felipe IV. (MNP)
Companion:
Dürer, Albrecht (1471-1528)
Eve
1507
Museo del Prado, Madrid