Cardinal Albrecht of Brandenburg before Christ on the Cross by Lucas Cranach the Elder was created in between 1520 – 1525. The painting is in Alte Pinakothek München. The size of the work is 158,4 x 112,4 cm and is made of oil on wood.
About the Work
Cranach shows Albrecht von Brandenburg (1490–1545) at prayer. He is gazing into the distance; in his mind’s eye Albrecht sees an image of Christ on the Cross as shown to the viewer. In this painting Cranach not only reveals his empathy as a Christian but also his skill as a colourist. The large area of red created by the robe and cushion forms a sharp contrast to the surrounding area, in the same way that Christ’s scourged body does to the dark sky. See also Grünewald’s painting of St Erasmus and St Maurice.
About the Artist
Lucas Cranach the Elder (c. 1472 – 16 October 1553) was a German Renaissance painter and printmaker in woodcut and engraving. He was court painter to the Electors of Saxony for most of his career, and is known for his portraits, both of German princes and those of the leaders of the Protestant Reformation, whose cause he embraced with enthusiasm. He was a close friend of Martin Luther, and eleven portraits of that reformer by him survive. Cranach also painted religious subjects, first in the Catholic tradition, and later trying to find new ways of conveying Lutheran religious concerns in art. He continued throughout his career to paint nude subjects drawn from mythology and religion.
Cranach had a large workshop and many of his works exist in different versions; his son Lucas Cranach the Younger and others continued to create versions of his father’s works for decades after his death. He has been considered the most successful German artist of his time. Read more in Wikipedia
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