Affiche Tuft of Cowslips by Albrecht Durer

Tuft of Cowslips by Albrecht Durer, 1526, is a detailed still life drawing of Cowslips, a common weed with yellow flowers, executed in watercolor and opaque watercolor, gouache. Durer was among the first artists to pursue detailed studies of nature and landscape, along with Leonardo da Vinci. Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) was a German painter of the Northern Renaissance whose work as an engraver, printmaker, mathematician and theorist secured his reputation as one of the greatest artists of Europe. His many paintings, portraits, altarpieces, watercolors, and engravings were the first in the Northern Renaissance to use classical motifs from antiquity and the Italian Renaissance. Durer’s unparalleled skill in drawing and engraving as well as mastery of perspective allowed him rapid execution of a range of motifs which elicit universal admiration to this day.