De aanbidding door de koningen 1511

Albrecht Dürer made this print, 'The Adoration of the Kings', using an engraving technique. Here, the magic really lies in how the artist’s skilled handling of the metal burin coaxes an incredible range of visual textures from simple lines. Look closely, and you’ll see he uses hatching and cross-hatching to create areas of shadow and volume, from the soft folds of Mary’s robe to the craggy faces of the adoring kings. It is a testament to Dürer’s deep understanding of the material's potential. Prints like this were made to be widely circulated, which democratized artmaking in an interesting way. Though Dürer himself was highly skilled, prints could bring the same image to many people at once. This speaks to the growing accessibility of art in Dürer’s time, making his skills available to a wider public audience. The material and its methods become central to understanding Dürer’s practice, blurring the lines between craft, artistry, and accessibility.