Artists
Jörg Breu the Elder
- Country:
- Germany
- Birth year:
- 1475
- Death year:
- 1537
Jorg Breu the Elder (c. 1475 Augsburg? - 1537 Augsburg) was an important German painter and draftsman of the late Gothic period. From 1493 he studied under Ulrich Apt the Elder. After completing his training, he travelled through Bavaria, visiting Austria in 1501. In the following year he settled in his native city and established his own workshop there. He travelled through Bavaria, visiting Austria in 1501. In the following year he settled in his native city and established his own workshop there. He received commissions from Emperor Maximilian I (1459-1519) and Duke Wilhelm IV (1493-1550), among others. It is possible that he lived in Italy between 1508 and 1514. Shortly before his death he wrote a chronicle in which he supported the destruction of paintings by the Reformation. Breu was one of the most remarkable painters of Durer's time, and can be seen as a forerunner of the Danube School. His early works display a dynamic power of expression and a dramatic use of forms that became more moderate under the influence of the Italian Renaissance. Among the artist's works are the side panels of the St. Bernard Altarpiece, 1500, Stiftskirche, Zwettel; and Lucretia, 1528, Alte Pinakothek, Minich.