Who was he?
He was one of the leading German painters and printmakers of his time. He became one of the most influential artists of the 16th century as he was very successful with his work and his illustrations swayed many towards the protestant belief.
His original name was Lucas Muller, however, later on he changed his surname to his birthplace, the Franconian town known as Kronach today. His father was a painter as well and it’s assumed he taught Lucas in his early years.
Where did he spend most of his life?
He later on made his way to Vienna in which he then made contributions to the art of the Austrian Danubian region.
Afterwards, he spent most of his life in Wittenberg, Saxony as he was hired to be a court artist by Frederick the Wise. He later earned enough money to establish a large studio in Saxony where his sons and many others (such as apprentices and journeymen) worked under him.
What were his contributions?
Through his close connections with their court, he became an advocate of the Protestant theology that was sparking up in Europe and created many woodcuts that corroborated with the Protestant belief.
Lucas was known to be closely associated with the Protestant Reformation, especially since he was also a friend of Martin Luther (the head of reformation). He had painted portraits of Luther and his family, created altar pieces for Lutheran churches and illustrated Biblical scenes.
However, he also painted and illustrated for Luther’s opponents, those that commissioned paintings of indulgences despite Lucas seemingly being a supporter of the Protestant theology. He painted sensual pieces and female nudes despite having created illustrations like the “Crucifixion” (1503) and “Christ Blessing the Children” (1538). His nudes were alluring and were often centered around Venus; the women were drawn with long limbs and their skin was painted to be soft. The pieces exuded a scandalous yet innocent mood.
His work was mainly rooted from his imagination and spontaneous creativity, which is why his work often lacks composition and may other artistic principles. Despite this, his style became very well-known and provided many solace during times of political turmoil, especially regarding religion.
Sources:
https://www.nga.gov/collection/artist-info.1179.html
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Lucas-Cranach-the-Elder
https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/artists/lucas-cranach-the-elder
October 10, 2020 at 11:45 pm
Tara,
Nice work on Cranach! Good research and information. Also I like your personal insights and thoughts on the artist you chose. That is what I’m looking for here in these posts. Just be careful of spelling in one or two places or word choices.
Jeff