The Standard Bearer

Albrecht Dürer intently studied human proportions, analyzing the way anatomical form was portrayed both in antiquity and in the work of other Renaissance artists. Here, the standard bearer’s tight clothing accentuates his musculature. His stance displays classical contrapposto, in which one leg is slightly bent while the other bears the body’s full weight, producing a sinuous and graceful line. Contrapposto, literally meaning “counterpose,” was a fundamental formal tool for Renaissance artists, who took inspiration from ancient Greek and Roman statuary.