by 
The great battle painter depicted on canvas the great battle of Alexander the Great with Darius. Despite the scale of the canvas, Altdorfer painted it in a fairly short time. The apotheosis of the battle, many characters and detailed traced elements create a special mood. Napoleon Bonaparte really liked this great work of art, the canvas adorned his office for 15 years.
In the foreground, brave warriors are depicted who, even at some distance, do not become a faceless mass. The canvas shows the moment when the Persian army began to retreat. The formidable powerful army of Alexander the Great is inexorably advancing, crushing the Persian formation, terrifying them. Victory in a great battle is depicted by the great artist so effectively and beautifully that it boggles the mind.
On the canvas, the artist paid much attention to the image of the sky. On it we see both the sun and the moon, as if these two heavenly bodies are also fighting with each other.
The picture contains a large number of plot symbols, and the colors used by the artist are symbolic. The picture is dominated by rich, rich shades of brown, red, yellow, blue. This makes the picture even grander and more epic. The landscape surrounding the battle is a backdrop to demonstrate the strength and power of the great armies, depicted by the great painter.
Year of painting: 1529.
Dimensions of the painting: 158 x 120 cm.
Material: wood.
Writing technique: oil.
Genre: battle art.
Style: Northern Renaissance.
Gallery: Old Pinakothek, Munich, Germany.
