Tuesday, January 3, 2023

16C The Old Testament - The Garden of Eden by Lucas Cranach (1472-1553)

Lucas Cranach (Northern Renaissance Painter, 1472-1553) and his workshop Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden 1526

Paradise Gardens usually depict the biblical Garden of Eden, often referred to as “paradise,” a word that evoked the notion of an untouched & primal landscape, or pleasurable space in a lush landscape of greenery. Cranach, who was a close friend of Martin Luther, worked at the court of Saxony. The artist, who was famous for his landscapes, representations of animals & nudes, found Adam & Eve a subject which was ideally suited to his gifts & to which the Lutherans did not object. He & his workshop treated it many times in paintings & prints.