Crucifixion before 1502

Lucas Cranach the Elder made this woodcut, titled "Crucifixion," during the early 16th century, a time of great religious and social upheaval in Germany. Cranach was a court painter closely associated with Martin Luther, and his art often engaged with the theological debates of the Reformation. This image would have been produced, distributed and consumed during a time of iconoclasm, in which people would take to destroying religious imagery. The image uses the traditional Christian subject of Christ's crucifixion to communicate reformist ideas. Consider how the artist has portrayed the figures in contemporary dress, and how this might affect the viewer. What does it mean to bring the crucifixion into the present? Historians use documentary evidence, like letters, pamphlets, and official records, to reconstruct the complex social and religious context in which this print was made and circulated. Art is contingent on context, and understanding these contexts enables us to interpret its meaning more fully.