Lucas Cranach The Elder: A Northern Renaissance Vision

by Alexander Stepanov

Lucas Cranach (1472-1553) was one of the greatest artists of the Renaissance, as shown by the diversity of his artistic interests as well as his awareness of the social and political events of this time. He developed a number of painting techniques which were afterwards used by several generations of artists. His somewhat mannered style and spending palette are easily recognized in numerous portraits of monarchs, cardinals, courtiers and their ladies, religious reformers, humanists and philosophers. A part of the Great Painters Collection, translated from the Russian by Paul Williams. 109 full color plates and numerous black and white and two-color illustrations interspersed by text. Includes a chronological table of the work of Cranach and his notable contemporaries.

Genres: Art

200 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1997

Reviews

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paperback edition. Lovely color plates. Interesting and erudite monograph doesn’t really seem to fit with the book— text doesn’t align with nearby images, and author rarely mentions the name of the picture he’s describing, leaving you to flip back and forth to find an image that corresponds to the description (and it seems some of the works described aren’t reproduced in the book). Text is also peppered with typos. But overall, still a stimulating read/view.

[Arwen Downs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here is a beautiful and in-depth study of Cranach's work spanning his entire career. The detailed inspection of his paintings and chronology of his signature were of especial interest to me. But really, it's not so much about the book as it is about the paintings, which I adore.