Hans Baldung was born around 1484 or 1485 in Schwäbisch Gmünd. Coming from an educated family, he entered the workshop of Albrecht Dürer in Nuremberg around 1503. The nickname Grien, perhaps linked to the color green, distinguished him from other companions named Hans and then joined his monogram HBG. Baldung mastered drawing, wood engraving and precise body construction with Dürer, but quickly developed a more nervous manner. Installed in Strasbourg in 1509, he obtained the bourgeoisie and directed a prosperous workshop. Installed in Strasbourg in 1509, he obtained the bourgeoisie and directed a prosperous workshop. Installed in Strasbourg in 1509, he obtained the bourgeoisie and directed a prosperous workshop. Installed in Strasbourg in 1509, he obtained the bourgeoisie and directed a prosperous workshop. Installed in Strasbourg in 1509, he obtained the bourgeoisie and directed a prosperous workshop. Between 1512 and 1517, he created the large altarpiece for the main altar of Friborg Cathedral, the peak of his religious career. Holy Family, Crucifixion, Baptism of Christ and Trinity show his ability to renew Christian subjects through colorful contrasts, powerful shortcuts and expressive faces. At the same time, his drawings and prints explore witches, horses, feminine beauty, the ages of life and the proximity of death. The spiritual and the carnal are never separated: the body becomes the place where desire, salvation and finitude meet. The spiritual and the carnal are never separated: the body becomes the place where desire, salvation and finitude meet. A prolific stained glass designer and illustrator, Baldung also held public office in Strasbourg. When Dürer died, a lock of the master's hair was sent to him as a souvenir. Baldung died in 1545, leaving around a hundred paintings preserved, some two hundred fifty drawings and several hundred engraved woods. The "Hans Baldung Grien" selection notably compares Holy Family and Crucifixion. His reading favors composition.
Baldung transforms the precision learned in Dürer into visionary energy: the line tenses, the color sharpens and each body seems divided between life, desire and disappearance.