Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) transformed European printmaking while bridging Northern Renaissance precision with Italian Renaissance humanism. Born in Nuremberg to a goldsmith father, Dürer apprenticed as a painter before undertaking journeys to Italy that profoundly shaped his artistic vision.

Dürer gained fame through his virtuosic woodcuts and engravings, including the apocalyptic "Four Horsemen" (1498) and his masterful religious works. His depictions of saints were particularly notable, exemplified in his 1521 engraving of Saint Christopher—the patron saint of travelers—carrying the Christ child across treacherous waters, a work that showcased both his technical brilliance and spiritual depth.

Beyond prints, Dürer created remarkable paintings and watercolor studies of nature. He served as court artist to Emperor Maximilian I and wrote theoretical works on mathematics, proportion, and perspective. Dürer's genius lay in synthesizing Northern European attention to surface detail with Italian Renaissance spatial concepts. His famous monogram signature became one of history's first artistic brands, signifying both artistic excellence and intellectual ambition in an era when artists were emerging from anonymous craftsmen to celebrated individuals.