Albert Durer was a very great artist. Some people consider him one of the best artists in the Renaissance period, or the best artist of the renaissance period in Germany. He only left Nuremberg three times to visit Venice and the Netherlands.
             Albrecht Durer was born in Nurembourg in May 21, 1471. His father, Albrecht Durer was a goldsmith, he had come from Germany to Nurembourg in 1455 and married Barbara Holper. Barbara's father was Albrecht's master. Albrecht was his father's third son.
             He was apprenticed by Michael Wolgumut in 1486 and began to work with woodcuts. He finished his apprentiship with Michael Wolgumut after four years. Than, in 1494, he married Agnes Frey and left Nuremberg to go to Venice the same year. He became very fascinated by their style and worked on woodcuts, drawings, paintings, wood and copper engravings. From that period on, the Italian influence was unmistakable in his work. Since paintings were very costly and not many people could afford them. Durer decided to work on woodcuts so that he could easily create copies of his work. These copies were used to educate people in religious and classical history.
             In 1507 Durer made another trip to Venice; he stayed there for a year and a half. After he returned, he seemed to have given up painting, and instead spent most of his time to his copper and wood engravings. In 1513 and 1514 he completed his three best-known copper engravings: 'Knight, Death and Devil', 'St. Jerome in His Study', and 'Melancholia'.
             Durer also researched about the mathematics of proportion and perspective and published two works on this topic during his life. He was a friend of Martin Luther and several other leaders of the Reformation. He died in Nuremberg on April 6, 1528.
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