Luther and Cranach: the Visual Arts in the Framework of the German Reformation
The article considers the role of Lucas Cranach’s work and his workshop in spreading Martin Luther’s Reformation ideas. In order to reveal the connection between the emerging Protestantism and visual art in Germany at the beginning of the 16th century, the article highlights not only the biographical evidence of productive interaction between two major figures of the era, but also Lutheran interpretation of the main functions of visual row and its influence on the minds of believers, who decided to turn to Ithe principle of “sola scriptura”. Moreover, the article also notes the diversity of tasks assigned to images: while some of them serve as a support in religious practice, others become an effective tool in ideological confrontation. For example, the article uses the example of M. Luther and his wife’s paired portraits to reveal the mechanisms of popularizing the values of marriage as opposed to the Catholic ideal of asceticism.