Van Leyden << vahn LY duhn >>, Lucas (1494?-1533), was a Dutch graphic artist and painter best known for his engravings. He became one of the first artists to design compositions in which the main character is not necessarily the largest or most centrally located figure. Lucas’ engravings have been praised for their richly detailed landscape settings. He knew and admired the work of German engravers, especially Albrecht Dürer. However, his engraving style is less ornamental than theirs, using fine and precise strokes of the burin (engraver’s cutting tool). This technique tended to create effects of light and shadow, rather than contour.
Lucas was born in Leiden, the Netherlands. The engravings he made between the ages of about 16 and 26 are considered his best and most original, including Ecce Homo and The Milkmaid (both 1510).
