1516
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Winged Woman on a Star is a 1516 ink by Albrecht Altdorfer, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This print shows a barefoot woman with wings and a star on her chest, standing on a rocky hill. She holds a bundle of sticks in one hand and a staff topped with a globe in the other. Her hair is wild, and the background has a small town with spires. Notice how the lines create light and shadow—this isn’t paint, but ink pressed into paper. The artist used fine lines to build up dark areas, almost like shading with pencil. Check out the technique: engraving to see how artists made prints like this before photography.
Albrecht Altdorfer (c. 1480 – 12 February 1538) was a German painter, engraver and architect of the Renaissance working in Regensburg. Along with Lucas Cranach the Elder and Wolf Huber he is regarded to be the main…
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