From March 4 to May 15 in State Museum fine arts named after Pushkin for the first time in Russia will take place large-scale exhibition, dedicated to creativity the outstanding master of the Northern Renaissance Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1553) and representatives of several generations of this illustrious dynasty.

Forty-eight paintings and more than fifty graphic works from the collections of museums in Gotha, Berlin, Madrid, Prague, Budapest, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod and several Russian private collections reflect different stages in the development of the creative tradition of the Cranach family, which combines interest in a truly Renaissance interpretation of religious and mythological themes with elements of late Gothic fabulousness. The exhibition traces the important changes that occurred in the artistic consciousness of German masters in the period between the Renaissance and Mannerism.

The decoration of the exhibition will be famous creations Lucas Cranach the Elder:

• “The Mystical Betrothal of Saint Catherine of Alexandria, with Saints Dorothea, Margaret and Barbara” (second half of the 1510s, Museum fine arts, Budapest);
• “Venus and Cupid” (1509; State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg);
• "The fruits of jealousy. silver Age"(1530; Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow);
• "Judith beheading Holofernes" (1531; Friedenstein Castle Foundation, Gotha).

The exhibition will be complemented by engravings and drawings of the father and son Cranach from the collections of the Pushkin Museum. A.S. Pushkin, State Hermitage, as well as the Friedenstein Castle Foundation in Gotha.

Central figure exhibition - Lucas Cranach the Elder, a reformer of German painting, whose innovative ideas in terms of composition, color and interpretation of images had a great influence on the art of the Northern Renaissance. In the first third of the 16th century, the creative searches of Lucas Cranach the Elder marked the final transition from the ideals of the Renaissance to mannerism. The artist organized a workshop that flourished for more than a hundred years, the leadership of which eventually passed to his son Lucas the Younger, and then to his grandson and great-grandson. He was also the creator of an easily recognizable and memorable world of bright artistic images. The Cranachs should be spoken of as the actual founders of the Saxon school of painting, which flourished throughout XVI century.

Schedule of excursions around the exhibition:

• on Sundays March 13, 20, 27, April 10, 17, 24 at 15:00 and 17:00;
• on Tuesdays March 15, 22, 29, April 5, 12, 19, 26 at 15:00 and 18:00;
• on Wednesdays March 16, 23, 30, April 6, 13, 20, 27, May 4, 11 at 18:00.

Ticket prices:

In weekdays:

• from 11:00 to 13:00 - 300 rubles, discounted rate of 150 rubles;
• from 13:00 to 17:00 - 400 rubles, discounted rate of 200 rubles;
• from 17:00 until the museum closes - 500 rubles, discounted rate 250 rubles.

On Fridays, during the “Fridays in Pushkinsky” events:

• from 17:00 until the museum closes - 700 rubles, discounted rate 350 rubles.

On weekends:

• from 11:00 to 13:00 - 400 rubles, discounted rate of 200 rubles.
• from 13:00 until the museum closes - 500 rubles, discounted rate 250 rubles.

State Museum of Fine Arts named after. A.S. Pushkin

Main building

At the exhibition, the viewer will see 48 paintings and more than 50 graphic works from the collections of museums in Gotha, Berlin, Madrid, Prague, Budapest, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod and several Russian private collections. The decoration of the exhibition will be the famous works of Lucas Cranach the Elder “The Mystical Betrothal of St. Catherine of Alexandria, with Saints Dorothea, Margaret and Barbara” (second half of the 1510s; Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest), “Venus and Cupid” (1509; State Hermitage Museum, St. -Petersburg), “The fruits of jealousy. Silver Age" (1530; Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow), "Judith Beheading Holofernes" (1531; Friedenstein Castle Foundation, Gotha). The exhibition will be complemented by engravings and drawings of the father and son Cranach from the collections of the Pushkin Museum. A.S. Pushkin, the State Hermitage, as well as the Friedenstein Castle Foundation in Gotha.

Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472–1553) was a reformer of German painting whose innovative ideas regarding composition, color and treatment of imagery had a great influence on the art of the Northern Renaissance. In the first third of the 16th century, the creative searches of Lucas Cranach the Elder marked the final transition from the ideals of the Renaissance to mannerism. The artist organized a workshop that flourished for more than a hundred years, the leadership of which eventually passed to his son Lucas the Younger, and then to his grandson and great-grandson. He was also the creator of an easily recognizable and memorable world of vivid artistic images. The Cranachs should be spoken of as the actual founders of the Saxon school of painting, which flourished throughout the 16th century.

The work “Venus and Cupid” (1509) was created during the period when Cranach the Elder was court artist to the Elector of Saxony, Frederick the Wise. The artist depicted ancient goddess beauty and love in full height, completely naked. After 1530, Cranach and his workshop repeatedly turned to this subject. There are about 35 paintings by Cranach, his students, followers and imitators depicting Venus and Cupid.

The best works of Lucas Cranach the Elder include the painting “The Mystical Betrothal of St. Catherine of Alexandria, with Saints Dorothea, Margaret and Barbara,” executed in the second half of the 1510s. At the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries and until the middle of the 16th century, in the German lands, along with the Mother of God, the cult of the four main virgin intercessors became widely popular: Saints Catherine of Alexandria, Margaret, Barbara and Dorothea. In the painting by Lucas Cranach the Elder, the mystical betrothal of St. Catherine takes place against the background of a characteristic southern German rocky landscape and a dark curtain held by little angels. In the center of the composition is the Infant Christ, supported by the Mother of God: with one hand He puts on wedding ring on the finger of St. Catherine, the other touches the symbolic bunch of grapes held by the Madonna. The image is complemented by the figures of the holy virgins present at this sacred action, in elegant court dresses and with their attributes, forming a complex compositional and rhythmic group: a dragon for Margarita, a basket of flowers for Dorothea and a tower behind Varvara’s back.

Painting from the collection of the Pushkin Museum. A.S. Pushkin's "Madonna and Child (Madonna in the Vineyard)" (circa 1522–1523) is undoubtedly one of the most striking works in the exhibition. Every detail of this work is filled with a deep allegorical meaning: the grapes in the hand of the Mother of God, touched by the Baby, recalls the human incarnation of Christ, who accepted torment and died on the cross in the name of atonement for original sin; the vine means “the true Church of Christ,” which is personified by the Mother of God; the image of a waterfall hints at life-giving force Christian faith quenching the spiritual thirst of the righteous. Certain elements of the landscape also contain symbolic overtones: the mountain is a spiritual elevation above the bustle of the world; the rock is the unshakable firmness and indestructibility of true faith, the support of which is Christ.

Lucas Cranach the Younger (1515–1586) continued his multifaceted activities in the family workshop, primarily engaged in the repetition of his father’s originals, created in the most different genres– from religious and mythological scenes to allegories and serial portraits of Elector Johann Friedrich the Magnanimous, Sibylla von Cleve, Martin Luther and Philip Melanchthon. Important changes occurred at the beginning of the next decade, when Lucas Cranach the Younger began to gradually abandon the creation of replicas of his father's paintings. He introduced many new details into the artistic design of his works, placed semantic and stylistic accents differently, which, undoubtedly, was not only a consequence of the onset of his professional maturity, but also a reflection of certain changes in artistic fashion at the Saxon court. One of characteristic features creativity of Lucas Cranach the Younger was a passion for creating works of relatively large sizes. In the next three decades, after the death of his father, when the artist was the full owner and head of a thriving workshop, his individual and well-recognized painting style finally took shape. It received its most consistent embodiment in a relatively new type of epitaph painting for that time, the customers of which were mainly representatives of wealthy patrician families who professed Lutheranism.

Exhibition at the Pushkin Museum. A.S. Pushkin continues a series of international projects dedicated to the 500th anniversary of the birth of Lucas Cranach the Younger.

Crane engraver

The heyday of Lucas Cranach the Elder's engraving work occurred in the first decade of his work at the court of Frederick the Wise, one of the most educated and powerful Electors of Germany. In the period from 1506 to 1516, almost all of the master’s main works in easel engraving were created, characterizing him as a versatile artist who knew how to surprise the viewer with a wealth of thematic and stylistic solutions.

Among the woodcuts of 1506, the “First Tournament” is of particular interest - a large, complex, multi-figure composition. Unlike the other three engravings, dedicated only to tournaments, this sheet, in addition to the competition itself, depicts many genre scenes. Around the fenced center where the battle of the knights took place, the artist placed a motley, noisy, multifaceted crowd: horsemen and foot soldiers, women, old people and children, musicians and nobles. In the background is the Elector's box. Onlookers watch from the windows and doors of buildings located around the square. Both black and white and watercolor-colored prints are known. Coloring woodcuts has been traditional in Germany since the Middle Ages, and Cranach the Elder often used this method.

In 1509, the artist made his first attempts at color woodcut (chiaroscuro), and also turned to a new technique for him chisel engraving. In the early 1520s, Cranach almost stopped working in easel engraving.

Exhibition “Cranachs. Between the Renaissance and Mannerism" is joint project Pushkin Museum im. A.S. Pushkin, the State Hermitage and the Friedenstein Castle Foundation in Gotha. The organizers are grateful to the German Embassy in Moscow for their support.

Schedule of excursions around the exhibition:

For more information on how to buy a ticket for an excursion, see.

The exhibition is dedicated to the work of the outstanding Northern Renaissance master Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1553) and representatives of several generations of this illustrious dynasty. Forty-eight paintings and more than fifty graphic works from the collections of museums in Gotha, Berlin, Madrid, Prague, Budapest, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod and several Russian private collections reflect different stages in the development of the creative tradition of the Cranach family.

Lucas Cranach the Elder. The mystical betrothal of Saint Catherine of Alexandria, with Saints Dorothea, Margaret and Barbara.

The personality of Lucas Cranach the Elder and the versatility of his interests as an artist, court diplomat and entrepreneur serve the clearest example universal human activity of the Renaissance. According to cousin Cranach's first biographer Matthias Gunderam, left in 1556, he was born on October 4, 1472 in the town of Kronach in Upper Franconia (now northern Bavaria) and was one of four children in the family of the local artist Hans Mahler (Mollner; his mother carried maiden name Hübner). From birth, for some reason, he was called Lucas Zunder (Suder, Zondr), but later began to call himself Cranach - in memory of hometown. He received his first lessons in craftsmanship in his father's workshop in Kronach. All modern knowledge about the years of apprenticeship is not documented. Modern researchers also shift the date of birth three years later and determine it around 1475.

Lucas Cranach the Elder. Fragment.
The mystical betrothal of Saint Catherine of Alexandria, with Saints Dorothea, Margaret and Barbara.
Second half of the 1510s. Wood (linden), tempera, oil. Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest.

The plot of this one best works Lucas Cranach the Elder of the second half of the 1510s goes back not to the Gospel, but to the famous Golden Legend (Legenda Sanctorum or Legenda Aurea). “The Golden Legend” is a work by Jacob of Voraginsky, a collection of Christian legends and entertaining lives of saints, written around 1260. One of the most beloved books of the Middle Ages, in the XIV-XVI centuries. ranked second in popularity after the Bible. According to the Golden Legend, Saint Catherine, who lived in Alexandria in the 3rd century, was noble birth and had extraordinary beauty, wisdom, education and meek character. She declared that she would marry only the one who surpassed her in these virtues. After being baptized, Catherine had a mystical vision: she was transported to heaven and appeared before the Child Christ and the Mother of God. Jesus put a ring on her finger and called her his bride, which symbolized her connection with the Almighty. In the painting, Saint Catherine is depicted in an already established image, kneeling, dressed in expensive clothes (which symbolizes her origin), with a sword and a broken wheel - the instruments of her martyrdom.

At the turn of the 14th - 15th centuries, the cult of four “chief maidens” (Virgines Capitales) developed in the German lands. The painting by Lucas Cranach the Elder also depicts these maidens, who seem to be present during a sacred action. In expensive court dresses and with recognizable attributes: Margarita’s dragon, Dorothea’s baskets of flowers, the tower behind Varvara’s back. Catherine of Alexandria was considered the patroness of students, Dorothea - gardeners, Varvara - miners and the military, since she protected from sudden death without communion, Margarita is a healer of the possessed, an intercessor against slander and unjust judgment.

Lucas Cranach the Elder. Madonna and Child with a bunch of grapes. First half of the 1510s.
Wood (beech), tempera, oil. Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, Madrid.

In 1504, Cranach, who had already gained sufficient fame, received an invitation to take the position of artist at the court of the Saxon Elector Frederick III the Wise in Wittenberg, replacing the wandering Italian Jacopo de Barbari in this post. Already on June 24, 1505, as Pictor Ducalis, he received an annual salary of 50 guilders. Cranach held this court position for 47 years. Moving to Wittenberg Castle imposed many different responsibilities on the artist. In addition to painting paintings, he carried out projects for decorating palace premises, supervised the activities of jewelers and wood carvers, and created holiday decorations castle on the occasion of various celebrations, tournaments and hunts. At the same time, he served as an adviser and even a valet.

Lucas Cranach the Elder. Fragment. Golgotha ​​with those to come, 1515

In 1508, Cranach received a noble coat of arms, the main element of which was the image of a dragon with raised wings and a ruby ​​ring in its mouth, which became an invariable sign of Cranach's workshop. In the same year, he was sent on a diplomatic mission to the Netherlands to the court of Margaret of Austria in Mechelen, where he represented his patron at the oath-taking ceremony of the eight-year-old Crown Prince Charles - the future Charles V - and was admitted to the hand of Emperor Maximillian I. In January 1508 in Nuremberg The wedding of Lucas Cranach and Barbara Brengbier (1485 - 1540), the daughter of a wealthy brewer and part-time burgomaster of the city of Gotha, took place.

Workshop of Lucas Cranach the Elder. Fragment. Sainte Genoveff (Saint Genevieve of Paris), circa 1519
Wood (linden), tempera, oil. Pushkin Museum im. A.S. Pushkin, Moscow.

This left wing of the lost triptych was traditionally considered to be the handiwork of Lucas Cranach the Elder, but researchers now consider it to be the work of Cranach's apprentices.

St. Genevieve of Paris came from an ancient Gallic family. In 451, she predicted the salvation of Paris from the invasion of the Huns led by Attila. In 460, she blessed the construction over the tomb of St. Dionysius, on the site of which the famous Abbey of Saint-Denis was subsequently built. Through the prayers of Saint Genevieve, the Frankish king Clovis I accepted Christianity. Traditionally, the saint was considered the intercessor of Paris. Her popularity in German-speaking lands was facilitated by the confusion of ideas about the saint with her namesake - the folklore character Countess Palatine Genovefe of Brabant, who became a distant prototype of the heroine of Charles Perrault's fairy tale about Little Red Riding Hood. In the painting, Saint Genevieve is depicted with her traditional attribute - a burning candle. According to legend, the fire miraculously lit up when the saint took the extinguished candle in her hand while saying a church prayer.

Lucas Cranach the Elder. Madonna and Child (Madonna of the Vineyard).

Every detail of the painting “Madonna in the Vineyard” is filled with a deep allegorical meaning, filled with various symbols. The vine means “the true church of Christ,” which is personified by the Mother of God. The image of a waterfall on the left side and a typical mountainous landscape hints at the quenching of spiritual thirst by the righteous from the life-giving source of the Christian faith. The mountain symbolizes spiritual elevation above worldly vanity; the rock on the left in the background - the unshakable firmness and inviolability of the true faith.

Lucas Cranach the Elder. Fragment. Madonna and Child (Madonna of the Vineyard).
Around 1522-1523. Wood (linden), tempera, oil. Pushkin Museum im. A.S. Pushkin.

In 1510 Cranach acquired big house on the city market square and set up a painting workshop there, where he painted, printed metal engravings and woodcuts. In 1526, Cranach became the owner of a pharmacy, which in addition to his direct use, made it possible to reduce the cost of minerals needed for painting and graphics. In 1512, the artist also received a patent for brewing beer and maintaining a wine cellar. In 1522-1526, together with the jeweler Christian Döring, the artist maintained his own printing house, in which he printed books, including the German translation of the New Testament made by Martin Luther. As a result, performing various court duties, Lucas Cranach became one of the richest and most respected residents of Wittenberg, became a member of the city council and was twice elected burgomaster.
Come to the museum, where the brightest colors will unfold before you amazing paintings, which need to be considered for a long time, as they are filled with various plots hiding behind the main scene. And of course, no photographs will convey the splendor that will open to your eyes in the exhibition space.

The exhibition will last until May 15, 2016. Main building.

Address: st. Volkhonka, 12, metro station Kropotkinskaya, metro station Borovitskaya, metro station Biblioteka im. Lenin.
Working hours: Tue, Wed, Sat, Sun from 11:00 to 20:00, ticket office (entrance) from 11:00 to 19:00;
Thu, Fri from 11:00 to 21:00, ticket office (entrance) from 11:00 to 20:00
Day off is Monday.
Ticket price: In weekdays
from 11:00 to 13:00: 300 rub., discounted 150 rub.,
from 13:00 to 17:00: 400 rub., discounted 200 rub.
from 17:00 until the museum closes: 500 rubles, reduced price 250 rubles.
On Fridays, during the “Fridays in Pushkinsky” events:
from 17:00 until the museum closes: 700 rubles, reduced price 350 rubles.
On weekends:
from 11:00 to 13:00: 400 rub., discounted 200 rub.
from 13:00 until the museum closes: 500 rubles, reduced price 250 rubles.
Free categories are free.

Visitors can purchase entrance tickets to the Main Museum Building at the box office or online and pay extra at the box office for visiting the Cranach exhibition.
Additional payment to entrance tickets(including complex) is:
in weekdays
from 13:00 to 17:00: 100 rub., discounted 50 rub.
from 17:00 until the museum closes: 200 rubles, reduced price 100 rubles.
on weekends:
from 11:00 to 13:00: 100 rub., discounted 50 rub.
from 13:00 until the museum closes: 200 rubles, reduced price 100 rubles.
A ticket purchased online gives you the right to enter the exhibition without queuing through service entrance No. 5.

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In the State Museum. A.S. Pushkin opened a unique exhibition of works by outstanding representatives Northern Renaissance- The Elder and Younger Cranachs under the title "Cranachs. Between the Renaissance and Mannerism." About a hundred paintings and engravings, stored in many European and Russian museums, as well as private collections.

The real highlight of the exhibition were the paintings of Lucas Cranach Sarge, who stood at the origins of the reform of German painting. His innovative searches in the creation of composition and presentation of images led to a break with the ideals of the Renaissance and the final transition to mannerism.

I wonder what Great master contributed to changes not only in painting, but also in religion. He supported the process of Church Reformation started by Martin Luther, who came up with the idea for one of his paintings. Both reformers were convinced that art should serve cause and faith.

The museum's exposition includes many works that received worldwide recognition. Among them is the painting "Madonna and Child", filled with deep symbolic overtones, where every detail reflects the values ​​of the Christian faith. In the work “Venus and Cupid” the maestro depicted the Roman goddess of love naked in full growth, showing his viewer all the charm and perfection of the heroine of ancient myths.

Cranach the Elder's talent as an engraver flourished in the period 1506-1516. It is at this time that he creates all his significant works, striking the viewer with a variety of stylistic solutions. The wonderful woodcut "The First Tournament" is a multi-figure composition filled with complex genre scenes. Later, the master became interested in the technique of engraving, as well as color graphics on wood.

Lucas Cranach the Younger is known not only as a brilliant master of multi-genre repetitions of his father’s originals, but also as the author of talented epitaphs, which he wrote at the request of wealthy Lutheran clients.

The masterpieces of Lucas Cranach the Elder were reinterpreted in the last century, when many artists began to turn to creative heritage masters The images of his paintings were borrowed by the expressionists, and the ideas of mannerism were organically intertwined in a cognitive context with postmodernism. Therefore, in the 21st century we discover new layers of meaning in well-known paintings.

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