A Comparison of the Work of Albrecht Durer And Matthias Grunewald

A close examination of the works of Albrecht Dürer and Matthias Grünewald show that they contain completely different styles, while combining both medieval and Renaissance elements. Although both are from Germany, the Renaissance influence of Italy shows strongly in Durer's "Knight, Death, and The Devil," while showing only a slight impact on Grünewald's "Crucifixion."

It is obvious that Dürer was influenced by the Renaissance in that he uses basic triangular format. There is a slight variation, though. Dürer holds to having the characters in the foreground, but switches the inhabitants of the middle and backgrounds. The use of landscape is seen in the middle-ground, where a hillside and several trees appear. The architecture that is usually seen in the middle-ground is here seen on a hillside far in the background. Yet the basic triangular format is used. Also, the use of realistic characters can be seen. Dürer paints the knight in a very realistic, proportioned way. The characters, as well as the landscape, are in relative proportion to one another, creating the illusion of distance. Dürer does not move to the Renaissance style in his use of space, however. As became popular in the Renaissance, space was left open. Dürer, on the other hand, stays with the medieval style of using all of the space available, giving the picture a clutter appearance.

Grünewald is very different in his style. Although showing some characteristics of the Renaissance, his basic style follows that of the medieval pattern. One of the clearest examples of this is the use of proportions, or rather the lack of proportion. For example, in the body of Christ, the arms are too long in comparison to the rest of the body. Also, the hands are too large and the fingers too long. This causes the representation of the death of Christ to appear more grotesque than it would have otherwise. The use of colors is not so brilliant in "Crucifixion" as they are in other paintings of the Renaissance. The colors are much more dark and dull. There is also less emphasis on the "ideal man." In other works, the use of muscle and other characteristics are used in a real way to present the ideal man. Grünewald, however, stays with the medieval style, which is more abstract.

It is obvious, however, that the Renaissance had an effect on Grünewald. His use of space is a classic example. "Crucifixion" does not appear cluttered at all, but rather has a large amount of open space. Grünewald also incorporates part of the Renaissance triangular style. He portrays all of the characters in the foreground, instead of blending them into the background. Also, a landscape is faintly visible in the background. The architecture of the middle-ground is noticeably absent, however.

As is seen, both Dürer and Grünewald combine aspects of both Renaissance and medieval styles to create two vastly different styles in these particular paintings. Renaissance influence is evident in both, but much more strongly in Dürer's work, due undoubtedly to the time he spent in Italy. Grünewald's style is much more medieval, due to his lack of exposure to the Italian Renaissance styles.