The Virgin and Child with St. Anne 1519

Albrecht Durer made this painting, The Virgin and Child with St. Anne, around 1519, on a wood panel. The figures form a close-knit group in this intimate depiction of family, yet Dürer was working within a period of great religious and social upheaval. Dürer was from Nuremberg, a vibrant center of humanist thought and artistic innovation within the Holy Roman Empire. The Protestant Reformation was gaining momentum, challenging the established Catholic Church. The image can be seen to reflect these reformist ideals by portraying a simplified and humanized version of the holy family. The focus on the personal relationship between mother, child, and grandmother, moving away from the more formal, hieratic representations that were favored by the Catholic Church. By understanding the history of the Reformation and of humanist thought, along with studying Dürer’s letters and other writings, we can come to a better understanding of how this painting spoke to the complex religious and social issues of its time.