Northern Renaissance

While “the Renaissance” usually refers to Italian art from the 15th to 17th centuries, the Northern Renaissance refers to work in the same time period from Germany, the Netherlands, and other Northern European countries. Northern Renaissance works more strictly subject New Testament narratives and patrons than those of their Italian counterparts that also portrayed Classical mythology. Northern Renaissance painters like Jan van Eyck perfected minute detail in oil paintings that were usually smaller than Italian canvases. In 1450, the printing press was invented in Germany, rendering the labor-intensive illuminated manuscripts of the Medieval era obsolete. Albrecht Dürer saw renown for his highly circulated woodblock prints that easily, and seemingly magically, brought images of Italian art to Northern Europe. Since artworks were no longer necessarily one of a kind and books were printed with ease, a broader range of people accessed highbrow culture and information.