The artwork “Draughtsman Drawing a Recumbent Woman” is a woodcut created by Albrecht Dürer in 1525. As a distinguished piece from the Northern Renaissance, the work fits within the genre painting category. The original work is housed at the Albertina in Vienna, Austria.
In the woodcut, a draughtsman is depicted in the process of drawing a reclining woman. The image is rich in detail, displaying the artist’s meticulous attention to line and form. The draughtsman sits at a table equipped with drawing instruments; a grid is visible on his work surface, suggesting the use of systematic measurement for accurately capturing the figure’s proportions. Meanwhile, the woman lies gracefully on a bed of pillows, perhaps a model at rest or the subject of the draughtsman’s art. The open window in the background provides a view of the landscape and lets natural light into the room. Overall, the scene displays a quiet, concentrated atmosphere emphasizing the relationship between artist and subject.
Dürer’s skill in conveying texture and depth, even within the black-and-white constraints of woodcut prints, is evident. This attention to technical and observational detail has cemented his position as one of the foremost artists of the Renaissance era, celebrated for elevating printmaking to the status of fine art.
