Artist Drawing a Portrait of a Man

Artist Drawing a Portrait of a Man by Albrecht Dürer (1485-1528) is a superb example of Northern Renaissance printmaking. Created across the span of Dürer’s productive career, this work is classified as a woodcut, a demanding medium through which the German master revolutionized visual culture in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. The dating span reflects the ongoing availability and potential reprinting of the block throughout Dürer’s workshop activities, underscoring the commercial success and widespread dissemination of his prints.

The subject matter directly addresses the role of the artist, illustrating a draughtsman engaged in the focused activity of creating a portrait of a seated man. This self-referential theme highlights Dürer’s continuous exploration of artistic status and intellectual production during a time when practitioners of painting and drawing sought recognition as intellectuals rather than mere craftsmen. Unlike many of Dürer’s complex narrative or religious prints, this composition focuses intimately on the relationship between the two men, providing a subtle insight into contemporary studio practice and the intense concentration required for fine portraiture.

Dürer remains one of the most influential German artists, celebrated equally for his detailed engravings and powerful woodcuts. The ability to mass-produce high-quality images via such prints helped establish Dürer's international reputation during his lifetime. Due to the historical age and enduring significance of this piece, many prints related to Dürer’s output are now securely in the public domain, ensuring wide accessibility for study. This particular impression of the Artist Drawing a Portrait of a Man is housed within the comprehensive collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.