- Byname:
- Schön Martin, or Hipsch (Hübsch) Martin (German: “Beautiful Martin”)
- Born:
- 1445/50, Colmar, Alsace [now in France]
- Died:
- February 2, 1491, Breisach, Baden [now in Germany]
- Movement / Style:
- Late Gothic art
Martin Schongauer
-
Who was Martin Schongauer?
Martin Schongauer (c. 1445/50–1491) was a painter and printmaker from Colmar, Alsace [now in France]. Known as the finest German engraver before Albrecht Dürer, Schongauer may have learned engraving from his father. He was influenced by the Netherlandish artist Rogier van der Weyden.
Schongauer's style, while still Gothic, had greater freedom, marking a transition into the Renaissance. His approximately 115 plates, mainly religious subjects, significantly influenced the young Albrecht Dürer. Schongauer's paintings include the Madonna in a Rose Garden (1473), and the Holy Family.
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What is an engraver?
An engraver is someone who produces engravings, especially on silverware or plates for printing, using hand or mechanical processes. Engraving is a printmaking technique where a design is incised on a metal plate, traditionally copper, using a tool called a burin. The technique reproduces linear marks, with tone and shading achieved through parallel lines or crosshatching.
Martin Schongauer (1445/50–1491) was a painter and printmaker, considered the finest German engraver before Albrecht Dürer. Schongauer brought a painter's perspective to engraving, expanding its range of contrasts and textures. His approximately 115 plates, signed with his monogram, represent a refined manifestation of the late Gothic spirit. He was the first great engraver known to have been a painter rather than a goldsmith.
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What is Martin Schongauer most famous for?
Martin Schongauer, a painter and printmaker from Colmar, Alsace (now in France), is most famous as the finest German engraver before Albrecht Dürer. Schongauer brought the art of engraving to maturity by expanding its range of contrasts and textures, introducing a painter’s viewpoint. His approximately 115 plates, signed with his monogram, represent a refined manifestation of the late Gothic spirit. Schongauer's style, while Gothic, had greater freedom, marking a transition into the Renaissance. He was a powerful influence on the young Albrecht Dürer.
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What materials and tools did Martin Schongauer use in his engravings?
Martin Schongauer, a painter and printmaker, was the finest German engraver before Albrecht Dürer. Schongauer brought the art of engraving to maturity by expanding its range of contrasts and textures, thus introducing a painter’s viewpoint into an art that had been primarily the domain of the goldsmith.
Engraving is a technique of making prints from metal plates into which a design has been incised with a cutting tool called a burin. Modern examples are almost invariably made from copperplates, and, hence, the process is also called copperplate engraving. To engrave is to cut or incise a line. Engraving is always done with a cutting tool, generally by pressure from the hand, and it detaches material in cutting.
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How did Martin Schongauer's work influence other artists?
Martin Schongauer, a painter and printmaker, was the finest German engraver before Albrecht Dürer. Schongauer brought the art of engraving to maturity by expanding its range of contrasts and textures, introducing a painter’s viewpoint.
His work influenced many artists. Rogier van der Weyden influenced Schongauer, and Schongauer's superb draftsmanship is demonstrated in The Holy Family. The detail and fine linear quality of the work, along with the balance of the composition, emphasized his use of color. The grace of his work became proverbial even in his lifetime.
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What are some famous artworks or engravings created by Martin Schongauer?
Martin Schongauer, a painter and printmaker, was the finest German engraver before Albrecht Dürer. As an engraver, Schongauer stands without rival in northern Europe in his time.
Some of his famous works include:
* Madonna in a Rose Garden (1473)
* The Temptation of St. Anthony
* The Death of the Virgin
* Madonna in a Courtyard
* St. Sebastian
* The Holy Family (1475/80)
* Passion of Christ, a set of 12 engravingsSchongauer's engraved work consists of about 115 plates, all signed with his monogram, is a refined manifestation of the late Gothic spirit. He brought the art of engraving to maturity by expanding its range of contrasts and textures, introducing a painter’s viewpoint.
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Martin Schongauer (born 1445/50, Colmar, Alsace [now in France]—died February 2, 1491, Breisach, Baden [now in Germany]) was a painter and printmaker who was the finest German engraver before Albrecht Dürer.
Schongauer was the son of Caspar Schongauer, a goldsmith of Augsburg. In 1465 he registered at the University of Leipzig but apparently remained there only for a short time. It is not clear whether he was there as a student or as a visiting artist enjoying the university’s protection from interference by the local painters’ guild. No work of his has ever been discovered that could with certainty be dated earlier than 1469, and the wide distribution of his work did not get under way until the late 1470s. In 1469 his name is mentioned for the first time in the Colmar register of property. The same date appears also on three of his early drawings, but these dates and signatures were added by Albrecht Dürer, who may have received them from Schongauer’s brothers. In 1488 Schongauer left Colmar and moved to Breisach, in Baden, where he died.
According to contemporary sources, Schongauer was a prolific painter whose panels were sought in many countries. Few paintings by his hand survive. Among these, the Madonna in a Rose Garden (1473), altarpiece of the Church of Saint-Martin in Colmar, ranks first in importance. This work combines monumentality with tenderness, approaching the manner of the great Flemish painter Rogier van der Weyden, by whom Schongauer was profoundly influenced. Other paintings by Schongauer include two wings of the Orliac altar (Colmar Museum); six small panels among which the Nativity (Berlin) and the Holy Family (Vienna) are the most mature; and finally the murals of the Last Judgment in the cathedral of Breisach, probably his last work (uncovered in 1932).
It is as an engraver that Schongauer stands without rival in northern Europe in his time. He was influenced by and may have studied with the master engraver who signed his work simply “E.S.” (see Master E.S.). Schongauer’s engraved work, consisting of about 115 plates, all signed with his monogram, is a final, highly refined and sensitive manifestation of the late Gothic spirit. Technically he brought the art of engraving to maturity by expanding its range of contrasts and textures, thus introducing a painter’s viewpoint into an art that had been primarily the domain of the goldsmith. The larger and more elaborate engravings, such as the Temptation of St. Anthony or the Death of the Virgin, belong to his earlier period. In his later years he preferred smaller plates, even for such subjects as the Passion of Christ, a set of 12 engravings. Some of his most eloquent plates are single figures, such as the Madonna in a Courtyard and St. Sebastian. Within the diversity of trends in German art in this period, Schongauer represents the most idealistic and aristocratic element, devoting his art mainly to Christian subjects and shunning the crude and often humorous realism of some of his fellow engravers. The grace of his work became proverbial even in his lifetime and gave rise to such names as “Hübsch [“charming”] Martin” and “Schön Martin” (“Bel Martino” in Italian), whereby the German adjective schön (“beautiful”) often became confused with the artist’s family name.