Although Dürer lived five hundred years ago, today we are happy that many of his works have survived. While he was alive, Dürer has published several hundred engravings on which are appeared his initials. It is impossible today to know how many of his works are lost, but those that have survived, give us a relatively complete view of the range of his work. Dürer as rule spent much of his time as a printmaker. Finally, there are a thousand of his drawings and watercolors. The range and variety of his work is just amazing. His woodcarvings and engravings made him great and famous all over Europe, and he is commonly considered the best master in this area. As a painter, Dürer has the equal success as in the paintings of religious topics, also in those with secular topics. He painted portraits as well as altars. His drawings and watercolors even today strike us with a variety of techniques and were painted with an almost phenomenal precision.
