Albrecht Dürer, Self-Portrait at Thirteen, 1484; silverpoint on prepared paper, 10 3/4 x 7 11/16 in.; Albertina, Vienna
Say this for the German Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528): he was not lacking in self-esteem. A painter, draftsman, and printmaker of preternatural skills, Dürer depicted himself, at the wizened age of twenty-eight, as Jesus Christ or, at the very least, in the tradition of devotional images. The allusion in Self-Portrait (1500), a cornerstone of the Alte Pinakothek, Munich, is unmistakable even as the intent of the picture remains elusive. That Dürer nevertheless risked the comparison speaks to an unapologetic and, as history has proved, well-earned chutzpah. Visitors to “Albrecht Dürer: Master Drawings, Watercolors, and Prints from the Albertina” get a handle on the artist’s gift right off the bat. The exhibition begins with Self-Portrait at Thirteen (1484), a delicate, if at moments awkwardly delineated, silverpoint drawing. It’s paired with a self-portrait, heavier in patina and considerably less animated, by Albrecht Dürer the Elder. Was this an attempt by the father to best young Albrecht or, perhaps, comprehend the son’s gift? Whatever the case, the curatorial point is obvious: Dürer was a phenomenon.
Albrecht Dürer, The Great Piece of Turf, 1503; watercolor and gouache heightened with white, mounted on cardboard, 16 x 12 3/8 in.; Albertina, Vienna
Isa phenomenon, if the response of the crowds attending the show is any indication. Huddling around the works, viewers can’t look closely enough at the