The Garden of Eden 1530

Lucas Cranach the Elder painted this scene from the Book of Genesis in his characteristically linear style in sixteenth-century Germany. In this panel, Cranach depicts the moment that Adam and Eve are expelled from the Garden of Eden. The scene shows the cultural impact of the Protestant Reformation on art production. Cranach was a close friend of Martin Luther. His art reflects the reformed theology of the reformers in northern Europe, and we can compare this and other Eden scenes to the Catholic art of Renaissance Italy. This new form of Christianity influenced the artist’s interpretation of the scripture. Art historians use archival and textual research to explore the social impact of art, connecting religious belief to the economic and political context in which it was made. By understanding the social and institutional forces behind the artwork, we can start to understand the way art challenges or reinforces the status quo.