Chapter 1 of 6
A young man, exactly as he wished to be seen
You are looking at a young man who has decided exactly how he wants to be seen. Albrecht Dürer painted himself here at twenty-six, fresh from his first journey across the Alps to Italy, and he presents not a workshop craftsman but an elegant gentleman, gloved, coiffed, framed by an arched window. In 1498, no German artist had claimed this kind of social standing on a panel.
Notice the confidence in the half-turned body, the lift of the chin, the cool grey light falling from the left. This is ambition made visible.
