The Institutiones geometricae of Albrecht Dürer was a landmark book in the development of Renaissance art and architectural practice. Albrecht Dürer, “the Leonardo da Vinci of Nuremburg”, was as highly regarded as a theorist as he was as an artist and helped spread the ideas and concepts of the Italian Renaissance to the rest of Europe. Originally published in Germany in 1525 as Underweysung der Messung mit dem Zirckel und Richtscheyt (Instructions for Measuring with Compass and Ruler), the work was translated in 1532 into Latin, the universal language of the day, so that it could be more widely read.
Divided into four parts, the first two focus on linear and two-dimensional geometry. In the third, Dürer discusses how these principles can be applied to architecture, engineering, painting, and type design. The final section tackles linear perspective, or how to accurately represent a three-dimensional scene on a flat canvas or piece of paper — one of the great developments of Renaissance art.
