In 15th and 16th century Germany, artistic expression and innovation were deeply influenced by societal changes. At the same time, art actually helped fuel those shifts, in ways that had never been seen. Renaissance and Reformation: German Art in the Age of Durer and Cranach, at LACMA through March 26, 2017, does an amazing job of exploring the interplay between art and social change.
The exhibit opens with religious works and right away there’s a sense of how Reformation leaders conveyed the new sensibility to parishioners. A trio of large woodcuts by Lucas Cranach the Younger (c. 1580) features Martin Luther flanked by Jan Hus and Philip Melancthon. Hus preached reform nearly a hundred years before Luther, but without the printing press his ideas didn’t gain much traction. Melancthon was Luther’s academic spokesman. The woodcuts hung on church walls, like paintings of saints, telling worshipers subtly but clearly: “These are the new touchpoints. These are your connection to G-d”.
Earlier works suggest that a new approach to spirituality was taking hold even before Luther’s 1517 theses. A wooden sculpture of St. Matthew (c.1500-1505) by Tilman Riemenschneider was left unpainted, allowing the inherent features of the wood to be revealed. This notion, that adornment is unnecessary, seems to foreshadow the Protestant directive of reliance on the (plain wood) Bible rather than the (polychrome) interpretations of priests.
Tilman Riemenschneider, Apostle Matthew, photo © Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Skulpturensammlung und Museum für Byzantinisch Kunst/ Antje Voigt
Outside the church, princes, as well as mayors and civic councils were key implementers of Protestantism. Their likenesses, along with their swords, armor, and lavish personal belongings, occupy the central gallery. This positioning within the exhibit parallels the influence of politics in religious reform.
While the ruling classes implemented change, they were the vehicle rather than the fuel. The role of the individual is what energized societal transformation. Humanist thinking elevated the individual. This is manifested with the ushering in of portrait painting. An entire section of the exhibit is devoted to that genre. In the past, wealthy patrons would have themselves painted into a religious scene, alongside a saint or Biblical figure. Now the individual, in his or her own terms, was the focus. These paintings feature people not gazing towards heaven with longing (like saints/martyrs) nor challenging viewers eye to eye (like rulers). Instead they seem to be contemplating their own inner thoughts, inspiring us to do the same.
Albrecht Dürer, Portrait of Jakob Muffel, 1526, photo © Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Gemäldegalerie / Jörg P. Anders / Art Resource, NY
Singly and together, the paintings, sculptures and decorative arts in this exhibit provide windows into one of the most formative periods in Western history. The works on paper, dispersed through the galleries in three separate groups, provide a behind-the-scenes narrative.
The etchings, engravings, and woodcuts near the beginning of the exhibit orient towards Luther’s theology. Early reformers are depicted, including some who were killed for heresy. Another popular subject was St. Jerome. Known for translating the Bible to Latin, he came to be seen as a precursor to Luther, who wanted every household to have its own Bible in German. Just the fact of these presentations marks the radical shift of the printing press: Artists could produce large quantities of work and sell that work to the general public, bypassing a patron. At the same time, the general public was exposed to topics and ideas not necessarily sanctioned by the establishment.
Midway through the exhibit are landscapes. These too are rooted in Reform, with nature being understood as an expression of divine presence. Images such as Erhard Altdorfer’s Mountain Landscape with Bridge (1530) are therefore imbued with theology. Stags, another common theme, were known to be the enemy of snakes and came to symbolize triumph over church corruption. These works hang alongside more conventional images from mythology, history, and traditional religious subjects; the juxtaposition shows how perspectives were changing and integrating at the same time.
Jörg Ziegler, Head of a Stag with Monstrous Antlers, photo © Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, Kupferstich-Kabinett/ Herbert Boswank
The Reformation also saw the first instance of art being used as mass propaganda, with the introduction of religious and political cartoons; these are the focus in the last gallery. Although visually consistent with the rest of the show, the energy in these pieces is a departure in tone. They carry a sense of derision for opposing ideas and contempt for those who hold them. Looking at these images, the 30 Years War (1618 – 1648) seems to be the logical next step. This exhibit was conceived years before its November 2016 opening, and years before anyone imagined our current political state. Maybe this underscores the larger point of the exhibit, and of museums in general…
