Lucas Cranach Sr.

Lucas Cranach the Elder (German: Lucas Cranach der Ältere, 1472 - October 16, 1553) was a German Renaissance painter. His son Lucas Cranach the Younger was also an outstanding painter. Cranach was born in Cronach in Franconia, where his surname comes from. He received painting training in his early years. He was active in Vienna around 1500 and attracted the attention of the humanist circle. In 1505, he was hired by Frederick III, Elector of Saxony, to become the court painter of Wittenberg. He established a large-scale workshop locally and trained many assistants and apprentices, so that his works could be produced and circulated in large quantities. During the Reformation, Cranach had a close relationship with Martin Luther. He painted numerous portraits of Luther and other Protestant leaders, and participated in the creation of Protestant propaganda engravings. His artistic style combines the characteristics of late Gothic art and Northern Renaissance, with slender and elegant figures and bright colors. He is especially famous for female nudes and mythological and biblical themes such as "Adam and Eve". Before 1508, he painted many altarpieces for the Wittenberg Castle Church, competing with artists such as Albrecht Dürer and Hans Burgmeier. In addition to artistic creation, Cranach was also actively involved in local public affairs and served as a city councilor and mayor of Wittenberg. In his later years, he moved to Augsburg and Weimar with the Electorate of Saxony due to war, and finally died in Weimar in 1553. Cranach's artistic influence was profound, and his son, Lucas Cranach Jr., inherited and continued the creative tradition of the family workshop. Today, his works are collected in many important museums in Europe, including the Uffizi Gallery, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the United States, and the Liechtenstein Museum.