Head of an Apostle Looking Upward

Head of an Apostle Looking Upward is one of a pair, with a different model used for the alternative pose used in the other drawing.

In this version the model is younger and his beard more curly. He has a little more hair, though is certainly still balding. He looks around 10-20 years younger and considerably less wrinkled. Durer was an artist who enjoyed capturing different generations of subjects within his portraits, finding beauty and interest in each and every one.

Though produced in grayscale tones this model has a particularly North European look about him, as if from a saxon background where as in the other drawing there is a more roman feel thanks to his nose and eye structures. Perhaps these were created in different regions, or perhaps the artist was just fortunate enough to have contrasting looks on his doorstep at that time.

Some of the basis of Durer's success was his ability as a draughtsman, from which all his success in other mediums would follow. The same carefully constructed lines continue into his etchings, woodcuts and paintings. His watercolours, too, feature these initial lines below the colour to ensure a clarity of form.