Albrecht Dürer

Hello! My name is Albrecht Dürer. I was born a very long time ago, on May 21st, 1471, in a busy German city called Nuremberg. My father was a goldsmith, so our house was always filled with shiny things. Even when I was a little boy, I loved to draw more than anything. When I was just 13 years old, in 1484, I drew a picture of myself using a mirror. It was my very first self-portrait!

At first, I helped my father in his workshop. I learned how to be very careful and make tiny, perfect details on jewelry. But my real love was drawing. When I was 15 years old, in 1486, my father let me become a student for a famous artist named Michael Wolgemut. His workshop was like a magical place where they made amazing pictures for books. There, I learned how to make woodcuts. A woodcut is like a giant, fancy stamp! I would carefully carve a picture into a block of wood, roll ink on it, and then press it onto paper. This way, I could make many copies of my art for lots of people to see.

I loved to travel and see new things. I took a big trip to a beautiful country called Italy, where I saw amazing art that was so bright and full of life! It inspired me to try new ideas. I became famous for my detailed pictures. I once drew a powerful rhinoceros in 1515, even though I had never seen one in real life! I just used a description someone wrote. I also loved drawing things I saw in nature. In 1502, I drew a picture of a bunny called 'Young Hare' that looked so real you'd think its nose could twitch! To make sure everyone knew I made the art, I created a special signature that looked like a big 'A' with a 'D' inside it. If you see that mark, you'll know it's one of mine.

I kept making art for my whole life. I even wrote books to share my ideas with other artists so they could learn, too. I lived to be 56 years old. Even though I lived hundreds of years ago, people all over the world can still see my paintings and prints in museums. I showed everyone that art could be full of amazing details and that an artist's ideas were special and important.