Powerful Women
Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1553) is considered to be one of the most successful artists of the Northern Renaissance, working for generations of Saxon electors. Still today his paintings of female subjects enjoy great popularity, such as for instance his biblical Eve who features in the opening theme of 'Desperate Housewives'.
Within Cranach’s work, the motif of the woman is one that constantly reoccurs, albeit in different ways. His women vary from saints to sinners, including female martyrs, biblical heroines, mythological goddesses, and the first woman sinner, Eve herself.
Why did his woman type change so drastically during his career? Scholars have pointed to the historical context, most notably the rise of Protestantism and the resulting rejection of the cult of saints, accompanied by a rise in biblical and humanist themes often paired with moral messages.
By focusing on the respective differences of Cranach’s women-types, less emphasis has been placed on what connects these depictions. This exhibition aims to show that despite their differences as saints and sinners, Cranach’s women have a uniting thread that runs through them; they are all represented as subjects with agency, women who take action and whose actions conversely have consequences.
Power is the theme that connects them. It can take different shapes, from saintly power to seductive power. While the power of the former lies in piety and belief in God, the latter derives its power from the ability to seduce physically and outwit men. The former capitalises on spiritual qualities and the latter maximises earthly, bodily qualities.
Female power in the seductive sense was coined with the term ‘Weibermacht’ or Power of Women and was a popular theme in 16th century Northern European culture. Key protagonists embodying this were biblical characters such as Judith or Susanna. Cranach popularised the theme with his paintings for the court of Saxony, where he arrived in 1505. On the one hand they form a strong contrast to the saintly counterparts that featured prominently in his pre-Reformation period. On the other hand, as this exhibition will show, they too are women of power, albeit derived from a different source. This exhibition looks at Cranach’s saints and sinners and shows how their respective powers are conveyed visually.