Droom van Paris c. 1506 - 1538

Albrecht Altdorfer created this tiny woodcut, Droom van Paris, in Germany around 1511. The image depicts a scene from classical mythology in which Paris must judge which of three goddesses is the fairest. The format of a woodcut had long been associated with cheap, popular images, but Altdorfer treats it as a vehicle for sophisticated art. He was a member of the Danube School and was preoccupied with landscape, seen here in the close attention to the details of the natural setting. This demonstrates the growing importance of the natural world within art during the Renaissance period. It is a highly detailed print made with close observation and a mastery of technique. To understand the artwork better, look to how the development of new artistic institutions enabled artists like Altdorfer to push technical boundaries. Art history is about understanding the social conditions that shape artistic production, rather than regarding artworks as the products of individual genius.