Hans Baldung
born c. 1484, Schwabisch Gmünd, Württemberg
[Germany]
died 1545, Imperial Free City of Strasbourg [now
Strasbourg, Fr.]
painter and graphic artist, one of the most
outstanding figures in northern Renaissance art.
He served as an assistant to Albrecht Durer,
whose influence is apparent in his early works,
although the demonic energy of his later style is
closer to that of Matthias Grunewald.
His work is extensive and varied. It ranges from
religious paintings and secular portraits to
designs for tapestries and stained glass. He is
noted for representations of the Virgin Mary, in
which he combined landscapes, figures, light,
and colour with an almost magical serenity. His
portrayals of age, on the other hand, have a
sinister character and a mannered virtuosity.
His best known work in painting is the High
Altar of the cathedral at Freiburg im Breisgau,
Ger., for which he also designed the
stained-glass choir windows.
Baldung-Grien's paintings are equalled in
importance by his extensive body of drawings,
engravings, and woodcuts ofan intense vitality.
The Totentanz (“dance of death”) and the “death
and the maiden” theme occur frequently in his
graphic works. An early supporter of the
Reformation, he executed a woodcut in which
Martin Luther is protected by the Holy Spirit in
the form of a dove.
Baldung-Grien was a member of the Strasbourg
town council, as well as official painter to the
episcopate. His works also appear in the church
at Elzach and the museums of Basel, Karlsruhe,
Cologne, Freiburg, and Nurnberg.
