Virgin and Child by Lucas Cranach the Elder

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The elaborate artwork by Lucas Cranach the Elder titled: Virgin and Child, 1513-1514, depicts the Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus sitting on what appears to be a bench under a tree. In the background and to the left of The Virgin Mary is a castle, or what could be considered as a mansion of some sort. Closer to the Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus, but still behind them, is a path that is surrounded by grass. This path could signify that they are in a park. One of the colors used in the painting is blue, which signifies the sky. The color brown represents the tree, the bench, and the path that is in between the grass behind the Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus. The Virgin Mary's hair is brown in the painting also. The color green is used for the Virgin Mary's garment, as well as the vegetation in the artwork Virgin and Child. The color of light brown, or what it appears to be, is also used in Cranach the Elder's artwork. The castle, or mansion, in the painting is the color of light brown. What attracts me about Cranach the Elder's Virgin and Child is how calm and serene the characters depicted in it are. Cranach the Elder's style and portrayal of the Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus sitting on a bench in the park would be considered as unconventional to me because most of the people of that time period knew about how special Jesus was going to be, even before he was born. Furthermore, with the prior knowledge of how great Jesus would have be before he was even born, I can imagine that the people of this time period would have been gathered around behind the Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus, bombarding them almost, because of all the special things they have heard about Jesus; coupled with the fact that it was virgin birth by Mary. Alth...

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...t and now she is apart of Jesus' life and legacy.
In summary, Lucas Cranach the Elder's Virgin and Child represents everything that major artists and painters of that era stood for in their artwork; they thought highly of religion. Cranach the Elder's use of composition, light and dark shadows, and space are a few of the many elements that are incorporated by him flawlessly. This incorporation of formal elements correlates to the style of the Virgin and Child. Due in part to the Protestant Reformation's influence at the time, an audience can see that the painting Virgin and Child is product of that era. Lucas Cranach the Elder's Virgin and Child, while it may be an unorthodox depiction of biblical times, provides unprecedented use of oil paint on lime as a medium, as well as integrating formal and stylistic elements that artists still use to this day.

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