Christ and the Adulteress, mid-1540s
Lucas Cranach the Elder (Germany, 1472–1553)
Oil on wood
Above is a painting by Lucas Cranach of Christ and the Adulteress, which is a famous story from the Bible. I chose this painting because although it is inspired by a famous story from the Bible the theme which Cranach gave the painting is set in a different time than when the actual story took place. Also my professor posted a link to his work. Cranach gave the characters in the picture (except Jesus) the appearance of being from the same era as the himself; painting them in suits of armor and European clothing. However Jesus is wearing a robe connecting him to the correct time and culture, but Cranach is somehow able to maintain an overall European appearance. This piece could have been very controversial in its day due to the fact that it portrayed Jesus as being the savior of the woman without having any obvious catholic reference, showing that the catholic church had nothing to do with salvation. This point comes in alignment with Martin Luther’s findings in the Bible and the beliefs of the protestants; and it is translated into European characters relating it to the time which it was created. Also in the top edge of the painting the words in German saying, “He who is with out sin among you, let him cast the first stone,” (John 8:7). All of this would have possibly made it a very controversial piece during the Reformation.
In the art itself the people’s faces are all varied in expression and compressed into a crowd around Jesus, giving the piece a lively feeling. I like this piece because it seems completely void of mannerism’s influence; it is balanced in its portrayal of its characters and geometric in design, having Jesus in a central position, leaning towards Cranach’s largely humanist style. I also love the choice of colors in the piece; the colors that Cranach chose give a modern feel and a brightness that is visible even in the deeper shades of colors. But by far my favorite part of this piece, besides its controversial nature is the expressions of the two knights on the right-hand side. I love the almost comical feel they have which also adds to the light of the piece, taking it from the stoning of the woman to the joy that comes from the thought of being rescued.
Something I found interesting was that was Cranach was a close friend of Luther (Cranach.org), which would have made this particular piece very controversial not only because of it’s content but Cranach’s relation to Luther.
Works Cited
Metmuseum.org. February 8, 2013. (Web). February 11, 2013.
Cranach, Lucas. Christ and the Adulteress, ~1540 (Web). February 11, 2013.
Cranach.org. Fort Wayne, Indiana. February 8, 2013. (Web). February 11, 2013.
Nate's Thoughts 
I thought you were spot on in your analysis of this piece and what was being portrayed by Cranach. I’m not sure I personally saw the comical feel that you saw from the two knights but I guess that is what is nice about art; everyone sees it differently and its analysis can vary drasticaly per each viewer. So much of the art from this time period is religiously based and knowing what we know about people who angered those in the Catholic Church or in royal positions make this piece even more interesting with its controvertial nature. I think you answered all that was required from this assignment and I enjoyed your opinions.
You are very accurate in describing this piece as humanist and lacking all mannerist style. It is very well balanced, proportioned and the colors are beautiful. What I like about this painting, is had you not known the title or the history behind it, you might not know what is going on in the painting, as all the subjects have similiar or no expression at all. Knowing what this painting was about, you are probably so accurate to say that this was probably very controversial. I always find it interesting to know if the artist was designing this for something specific, or was just creating this for “himself”. Do you know if this painting was meant for someone or some place?
I like that portion of art as well (the ability to express yourself in it as well as individually interpret it). But the reason I found the knights comical was simply because of their facial expressions: The one closer to the foreground seems to have an almost goofy smile and the one behind him has an intense stare that when coupled with his features seems comical to me. Thank you very much for you compliments as well as your opinion, both are greatly appreciated.
rbebersoleii, After doing some research I found that not a lot was known about this particular piece and that for a while artists even questioned whether it was the work of Cranach or his son, because they both have such similar styles. So along with the haziness of the actual author is the foggy history of the painting. Below is the source I used
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/1982.60.35
My first reaction to this painting was that the two knights on the right reminded me of dwarfs from perhaps Lord of the Rings, and gave me a comical feeling to them as well. Once I got over that initial reaction I became aware of the controversial aspect of the piece you commented on. With the strict religious structure the Catholic Church was demonstrating at the time, removing Jesus from his original time period and surrounding him with individuals dressed from the Renaissance, seems really outlandish yet really interesting that the artist chose to do that. I also agree with the fact there seems to be no Catholic Church reference in this work at all, besides the fact Jesus is the focus. This could be a tie to the Protestant Reformation sweeping across the North. You did a really good job connecting this piece to the time period! I find it relative that Luther and Cranach were friends because I definitely got a Reformation feeling from this piece. You did a really good job with your choice as well as your analyze. Well done!
Hello Nate,
I enjoyed reading your work very much. I too find myself wondering how Lucas Cranach with this work didn’t cause too much frictions especially within his own friendship with Luther. I also noticed the different expressions in everybody’s face. One expression that really cracked me up was that of that knight closest to jesus right side. He reminds me of my favorite character played by a little person in HBO’s Game of Thrones.
Exactly they’re almost dwarf-ish! I really love how despite the seriousness of the moment he painted there is a comedic element that makes this painting awesome.
Hi Nate-
I think you did a good job with the analysis of this piece. I think you also did a good job with describing this piece as humanist. You did a good job covering all the details that we needed to. I also agree that the colors he chose to use did bring out brightness that is visible even in the deeper shades of colors. Good Job!
You did a great job explaining this painting. I agree that the soldier’s relieved faces brighten the picture! I appreciate the connections that are included in this painting, it is interesting that Cranach chose the details that he did; such as Jesus dressed in clothing from Biblical times. I am not familiar with Cranach so it was nice to learn something new! Thank you for providing thorough information about this painting!
I really enjoyed your interpretation of the piece. I thought you were very spot on in your analysis of the piece and we had many similar likes of the painting. I also thought your response to the piece was very detailed, observant, and well-written. It was an overall delight to read.