Durer's art: Absolute fidelity to every detail Five full centuries lie between us and the life of Albrecht Durer (1471-1528). His ability to represent a subject with an absolute fidelity to every detail seemed miraculous to his contemporaries, and still astounds us now: we need only think of his water-colours of plants and animals. In addition, Durer was the first painter to devote such close attention to the art of the self-portrait. No artist before him painted as many as he. The works by Durer collected in this book show the full range of this artist s unique genius. About the Series: Each book in TASCHEN s Basic Art series features: a detailed chronological summary of the life and oeuvre of the artist, covering his or her cultural and historical importance a concise biography approximately 100 illustrations with explanatory captions "