The Nativity
1504
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
About the artist
Artist
Albrecht Dürer
Albrecht Dürer spent his life in Nuremberg, a busy German city where artists traded prints like currency.
See the richer artist page1504
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
The Nativity is a 1504 by Albrecht Dürer, a Renaissance work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
This drawing shows a crumbling half-timbered house with a steep roof and a leaning tower behind it. Inside, a woman in a long dress kneels by a manger, holding a baby while an older figure watches. Outside, a man pours water from a barrel into a trough, and another stands on a ladder fixing the roof. The scene is drawn in fine lines with no color, giving it a stark, almost sketchy look. Notice how the artist uses light and shadow to make the wood and stone look solid, even though it’s just a drawing. The crumbling buildings and simple tools hint at everyday life in the past. If you like this, look up Renaissance to see how artists like Dürer changed art with their careful details.
Albrecht Dürer spent his life in Nuremberg, a busy German city where artists traded prints like currency.
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