Biography of Lucas Cranach the Elder

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Recommended: The importance of religion to art in the Middle Ages

Professed "painter of the Reformation," Lucas Cranach the Elder created many pieces of artwork during his career, but his work that sprouted from the end of the Renaissance and beginning of the Reformation was truly inspiring (Johnson). Judith with the Head of Holofernes, an inspiring oil on panel by Cranach, impacted society in multiple ways that would remain influential even after his death. Cranach's work played a critical role in the beginning of the Reformation and pleased the royal court in Germany during the mid 1500s, which allowed him to rise as an artist and support dangerous organizations in his spare time. This enthralling artist's specific piece was the beginning of a religious motif that would appear in his later works and inspire artists of all beliefs. Lucas Cranach the Elder impacted society through his painting Judith with the Head of Holofernes and helped shape Reformation artwork in Germany throughout his career.
Lucas Cranach the Elder had a thrilling and dangerous experience during his career as an artist, as he involved himself with risky religious organizations as well as his enemy, the royal court, and became one of the most influential artists of his time. Cranach was born into a family of painters, continuing the family legacy when he was elected Royal Painter for the Saxon Court and began to build his artistic career from this opportunity. In fact, Cranach's artwork was so favored in the court that he was elected three more times to stay and held the position for nearly five decades (Thöne and King). His success led to a large income and he became the richest man in his Lutheran stronghold (Kunz and Schmitt). As you can imagine, being such a wealthy citizen, Cranach's social status continued t...

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... Sound & Vision Publishers, n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2014.
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Prohaska, Wolfgang. The Kunsthistorishes Museum Vienna: The Paintings. London: Phillip
Wilson Limited, 1997. Print.
Schjeldahl, Peter. "Reformers." New Yorker (2007): 104-05. EbscoHost. 17 Dec. 2007. Web. 12
Feb. 2014.
Thöne, Friedrich, and Donald King. "Cranach, Lucas, the Elder." Britannica. Lord Weidenfeld of
Chelsa, n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2014.
Turner, Jane. The Dictionary of Art. Vol. 8. New York: Grove, 1996. Print.
Wisse, Jacob. "Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History." The Reformation. Metropolitan Museum, Oct.
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Zucker, Dr. Steven, and Dr. Beth Harris. "Lucas Cranach's Judith with the Head of Holofernes." -
Smarthistory. Smarthistory, 2010. Web. 7 Feb. 2014.

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