1472 -1553 · Kronach, Vienna, Wittenberg and German Reformation

Incisive landscapes, elegant nudes and images of the Reformation make Lucas Cranach the Elder the great court painter of 16th-century Saxony.

Lucas Cranach the Elder was born in 1472 in Kronach, the city whose name he adopted. Probably trained by his father, he stayed in Vienna around 1500 and participated in the emergence of the Danube school, where landscape, vegetation and emotion played a major role. In 1505, he became court painter to the voters of Saxony in Wittenberg. He designed portraits, altarpieces, mythological scenes, nudes, engravings, decorations and political images. His emblem, a winged serpent, became the signature of an extraordinarily active workshop. Close to Martin Luther and Philippe Mélanchthon, Cranach produced portraits of reformers, illustrations and compositions such as Law and Gospel, which made Lutheran theology immediately readable. However, he also remains the painter of myths and moral ambiguity. The Nymph of the Source installs an elongated nude in a heraldic landscape, between innocence, seduction and warning. Saint George, Saint Christopher and Christ in the Garden of Olives show another facet: clean silhouettes, narrative details and expressive nature support devotion. Municipal councilor then mayor of Wittenberg, Cranach runs a vast workshop where his sons and assistants multiply the variations. Municipal councilor then mayor of Wittenberg, Cranach runs a vast workshop where his sons and assistants multiply the variations. He even accompanied the elector Jean-Frédéric in his captivity before retiring to Weimar, where he died in 1553. His art brought together court, commerce, faith and invention modern image. The "Lucas Cranach the Elder" selection notably compares The Nymph of the Source and Saint George and the Dragon. Its reading favors atmosphere.

Cranach makes the idea visible in one go: a silhouette, a tree and a look are enough to transform theology, myth or portrait into a memorable image.