Journeys of Albrecht Dürer: historiographical readings on the letters to Pirkheimer and the Netherlands journal

Resumo

This project aims at collecting historiography concepts to support our comprehension on two important sources left by Albrecht Dürer in the early sixteenth century: the letters sent to Willibald Pirkheimer in 1506 and the journal written by Dürer during his travels to the Netherlands in 1520-21. The reading of these documents traditionally relied on Art History methodology. However, the most recent wave of scholars has demonstrated a wide range interest in cultural aspects of Dürer’s writings. The research has been based on interpretative works published in German and English since the 1870’s; the texts written by Dürer himself were translated from German to Portuguese in a previous research project, and they have been used as historical sources. By tracking historiography we’re able to understand how interpretations on Dürer’s point of view have evolved. We can also visualize trends in History studies in the late 19th century and thereafter. The research has given us a better perception on how to interpret Dürer’s writings and his times.