Baldung, Hans
Hans Baldung (häns bäl´dŏŏng,–grēn), c.1484–1545, German painter and printmaker, active mainly at Strasbourg. He was surnamed Grien or Grün because of his fondness for the color green. Although he probably studied with Dürer, he evolved a personal style revealing his interest in brilliant color, effects of light, and expressively contorted forms. He is best known as a painter of such disturbing subjects as Death and the Maiden (Basel) and for drawings and prints of witches and allegorical or mythological scenes. The high altar of the cathedral at Freiburg in Breisgau, with depictions of the Coronation of the Virgin, the Crucifixion, and other subjects (c.1515) is his most famous work. Baldung was also esteemed as a portrait painter and designer for stained glass.