In 1528, Altdorfer refused the post of mayor to work on his major painting, The Battle of Alexander. This huge canvas, considered his most important work, is a good example of Altdorfer's style. The battling armies of Alexander and Darius include thousands of horsemen and soldiers, painted in minute detail and set in an imaginary landscape. The painting, confiscated by Napoleon but later returned to Germany, now hangs in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich. Altdorfer's other works hang in public and private collections in Berlin, Munich, Nünberg, and other German cities.
Altdorfer was a leading member of the "school of the Danube," a group of artists, including Lucas Cranach, who are considered the pioneers of modern landscape painting. Before their time, outdoor scenes had been used chiefly as background for the presentation of narrative themes. Their innovation was to evolve a style of pure landscape painting, telling no story, and often including no human figure. Many of Altdorfer's works, especially his water colors and etchings, show the emergence of this new style. He painted landscapes realistically and with great detail.
Altdorfer was also a master engraver in copper and wood. His movement toward pure landscape can be clearly seen in his engravings. He owed much to the influence of Albrecht Dürer, and may have been his pupil at one time.
A gradual change took place in Altdorfer's paintings after about 1510, reflecting his interest in architecture. He began to paint interiors, often influenced by Italian engravings or architectural drawings. An important example of this transition is his large Altarpiece of St. Florian. About 1518 he made a series of purely architectural drawings, including church interiors. These were often sketches for later paintings, such as The Birth of the Virgin. In these later works, the architecture became more elaborate. One of the most beautiful of his architectural fantasies is the palace that dominates the painting Susanna at the Bath.
