Lucas+Cranach+the+Elder

Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1553) was a German Renaissance artist. He specialized in portraits, woodcuts, altarpieces, and engravings. He spent most of his career in Wittenberg, Germany, where he was hired as a court painter for the Saxon court. Cranach is particularly significant because of how his artworks contrast with Italian Renaissance styles. Instead of idealizing the subjects of his paintings, he often displayed them in strange poses and focused on earthly elements. His work, Nymph of the Spring, exemplifies this. In the painting, detail is emphasized and the woman poses rather provocatively with the positions of her necklace and transparent veil emphasizing her nudity. The luxuriant grass and symbolic partridges (representative of love) show how Cranach enjoyed integrating more secular ideas into his pieces.

Nymph of the Spring

Portrait of a Saxon Princess (One of his many portrait paintings)

Wittenberg Altarpiece, 1547