Albrecht Durer was born in Nuremberg, Germany in 1471. As a painter, engraver and designer, he was one of the foremost artists of his country during the Renaissance. His multiple talents earned him the nickname "Leonardo of the North". He died in 1528.

Durer probably learned how to engrave from his father who was a goldsmith. As a youth he was apprenticed to Michel Wohlgemuth for three years. He felt German art of the time was clumsy and old fashioned. As a result, he became the first north European artist to travel to Italy solely to study Italian art. He refined his painting skills by working with Venetian and Flemish artists. In engraving he combined the methods of Martin Schongauer with the lessons of Andrea Mantegna. His woodcuts were amazingly detailed, inventive, and sometimes grim. In his art he combined a love for the ancient world with a deep Christian spirit. Durer also became the favorite painter of Emperor Maxmillian I. Pictured above is his "Knight, Death, and the Devil" (1514). Other famous works include: "The Four Horsemen" (woodcut, 1498), "The Great Piece of Turf" (1503), and "Hieronymus Holzschuher" (oil on wood, 1526).