The battle of Issus(fragment) 1529

Albrecht Altdorfer painted this fragment of ‘The Battle of Issus’ using oil paints, a relatively new technology at the time, to create a rich, detailed surface. Oil paint allowed Altdorfer to blend colors seamlessly and build up layers of detail, which you can see in the rendering of the armor, fabric, and horsehair. He mixed ground pigments with oil to achieve luminous colors and realistic textures. Note the skilled rendering of metal; the way it catches and reflects light is quite remarkable. Consider, though, how much labor went into the making of the painting itself. The grinding and mixing of pigments, the stretching of the canvas, even the application of paint, each a skilled tradition. Altdorfer was working in a world of workshops, where such skills were hard-won. And he was also depicting a world of labor: the making of armor and weaponry. Paying attention to materials and making helps us appreciate both the artistic achievement, and the social realities of the time.