12
Images as words
This room looks at the criticism of religious images by the Protestant reformers which ultimately resulted in a profound crisis in artistic production. Images were used to express Luther's doctrine in a clear and simple way and to depict new subjects and themes that were appropriate to the new religious context. Examples include Lucas Cranach's Allegory of the Law and the Gospel. Images were also used for vehement attacks on the highest ranks of the Roman Church or, conversely, to attack Luther and his followers, of whom various portraits are included in the exhibition.
This room looks at the criticism of religious images by the Protestant reformers which ultimately resulted in a profound crisis in artistic production. Images were used to express Luther's doctrine in a clear and simple way and to depict new subjects and themes that were appropriate to the new religious context. Examples include Lucas Cranach's Allegory of the Law and the Gospel. Images were also used for vehement attacks on the highest ranks of the Roman Church or, conversely, to attack Luther and his followers, of whom various portraits are included in the exhibition.
Albrecht Dürer
Erasmus of Rotterdam, 1520
Charcoal. 373 x 268 mm
Paris, Musée du Louvre, Département des Arts Graphiques
Lucas Cranach, the Elder
Portrait of Martin Luther and his Wife Katharina von Bora, 1526
Oil on panel. 22.5 x 16 cm and 22.5 x 16.1 cm
Wolfenbüttel, Herzog August Bibliothek
Lucas Cranach, the Elder
Allegory of the Law and the Gospel, 1529
Oil on panel. 72 x 88.5 cm
Prague, Národní galerie v Praze
Hans Sebald Beham
Allegory of Monasticism, 1521
Woodcut. 112 x 178 mm
Munich, Staatliche Graphische Sammlung