25 Quotes by Albrecht Dürer

An artist of understanding and experience can show more of his great power and art in small things roughly and rudely done, than many another in a great work. A man may often draw something with his pen on a half sheet of paper in one day . . . . and it shall be fuller of art and better than another's great work whereon he hath spent a whole year's careful labor.

But I shall let the little I have learnt go forth into the day in order that someone better than I may guess the truth, and in his work may prove and rebuke my error. At this I shall rejoice that I was yet a means whereby this truth has come to light.

Nature holds the beautiful, for the artist who has the insight to extract it. Thus, beauty lies even in humble, perhaps ugly things, and the ideal, which bypasses or improves on nature, may not be truly beautiful in the end.

Simplicity is the greatest adornment of art.

Geometry is the foundation of all painting.

The new art must be based upon science – in particular, upon mathematics, as the most exact, logical, and graphically constructive of the sciences.

And since geometry is the right foundation of all painting, I have decided to teach its rudiments and principles to all youngsters eager for art.