around 1485 -1553 · Passau, Danube school and expressive landscape

Nervous rocks, tormented trees and sacred figures make Wolf Huber a master of the Danubian Renaissance where nature becomes a protagonist.

Wolf Huber was probably born around 1485 in Feldkirch, in Vorarlberg, and died in Passau in 1553. The first years of his training remained poorly documented, but his drawings dated from the beginning of the 16th century show an artist already sure of his line and familiar with traditions of Albrecht Dürer, Hans Baldung Grien and workshops in the Alpine region. He settled in Passau no later than the 1510s and became court painter to the prince-bishops, a position he retained for several decades. With Albrecht Altdorfer, Huber was established in Passau no later than the 1510s and became court painter to the prince-bishops, a position he retained for several decades. With Albrecht Altdorfer, Huber was one of the main representatives of what art history called the Danube school. This group is not an organized workshop, but shares one new attention to the forests, valleys, rocks and rivers of Bavaria and Austria. At Huber, the landscape ceases to be a simple background. The trunks twist, the branches whip the sky and the irregular slopes give the natural world an almost psychological energy. His numerous quick and precise pen drawings are among his most original inventions. They record real sites, isolated trees and views of the Danube while transforming observation into graphic rhythm. Huber also paints altarpieces, isolated trees and views of the Danube while transforming observation into graphic rhythm. Huber also paints altarpieces, isolated trees and views of the Danube while transforming observation into graphic rhythm. Huber also paints altarpieces, portraits and religious subjects. The Lamentation of Christ brings together the body of the Savior, the Virgin and the disciples in a space where gestures draperies and nature participate in the same movement of pain. The angular anatomy and contained expressions avoid Italian idealization in favor of a more immediate presence. His activity goes beyond painting: he designs wood engravings, drawings for stained glass windows and acts as an architect, notably for Count Niklas von Salm. This versatility corresponds to the status of the court artist of the Germanic Renaissance. Huber's career thus unites observation of Danube territory, linear invention and dramatic spirituality. His influence is mainly due to this new conviction: nature can carry as much emotion and meaning as the human figure. There selection "Wolf Huber" notably compares The Lamentation of Christ. His reading favors light.

Huber makes the forest vibrate with the sacred scene: branch, rock and drapery participate in the same inner movement.