Biography of Lucas Cranach the Elder - 1521 Words

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. Cranachs 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 artists specific piece was the beginning of a religious motif that would appear in his later works and†¦show more content†¦Because of the corruption in the Catholic Church and the Saxon Courts support for such a violent and misleading community, Cranachs choice to paint the biblical story of Judith with a spin that highlights seduction, showin g more skin in her appearance than other works and even highlighting it with multiple necklaces and aristocrat clothing that may have been worn in the court, the painting almost displays Cranachs form of political resistance (Zucker and Harris). The story behind this painting is a Biblical tale about a strong heroine named Judith, who was known for her bravery and resistance against the Assyrian troops that come to assume control over her people. In this story, Judith uses her wit and seduction to ease her way into the Assyrian troops camp and continue with a genius plan to execute the Assyrian General, Holofernes. She seduces him, and once he is drunk, beheads him in his own tent, with his own soldiers all around him oblivious (Branch). Judith was able to defeat the enemy and resist what could have been the end of many Israelites lives. Cranachs choice suggested a political resistance that required a bravery similar to that of Judiths. Small details in the painting such as the bodice of the dress and Judiths jewelry show Cranachs love for a decorative surface, as well as theShow MoreRelatedEssay on Art Throughout History2129 Words   |  9 Pagesand biography) were both inaccessible and unreadable by the overwhelming majority of humanity during this Humanist period in terms of the history of art even after the invention of the printing press (outside of what is now China) by the German polymath Johannes Gutenberg in the 1440`s. Indeed it must also be conjectured as to the distribution of works which are now considered essential in the esoteric world of the art historian: †¢ Ghiberti`s I Commetarii (1455); †¢ Antonio Manetti`s biography of Filippo