The artwork titled “The Large Turf” was created by the artist Albrecht Dürer in 1503. It is a watercolor representation exemplary of the Northern Renaissance era. The piece measures 40.8 by 31.5 centimeters and falls within the genre of flower painting and still life. The artwork is housed at the Albertina, Vienna, Austria.
“The Large Turf” portrays an intimate and meticulously detailed observation of nature. The composition focuses on a segment of ground teeming with various plant species. Dürer’s intricate brushwork and keen eye for detail render each leaf, stem, and blade of grass with precision. The diverse textures and green hues of the vegetation are captured with a sense of realism that was revolutionary for its time. Amongst the tangle of plant life, the delicate structure of the plants’ roots can also be discerned beneath the soil’s surface. This watercolor showcases Dürer’s skill in translating the natural world into art while featuring the minute splendor of a seemingly ordinary patch of earth, reflecting the heightened value of individualism and the observation of nature which characterized the Northern Renaissance movement.
