Prague, June 22 (CTK) – “Cranach From All Sides” is the name of an exhibition which opens in the National Gallery (NG) on Thursday and which also shows the works of the great German Renaissance painter with the eyes of historians, restorers, chemists and natural scientists, organisers said yesterday.
The exhibition presents works from the NG’s own collections, which are mainly related to the cultural developments in Bohemia and Moravia.
It proves the great interest of the local nobility and church in the paintings of Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1553).
Cranach, a painter, merchant and friend of Martin Luther, is presented not only through his works, but also through the results of the research conducted by Cranach Digital Archive Dueseldorf.
“We are opening the exhibition one year before the 500th anniversary of the beginning of the Reformation which played an important role in Cranach’s life,” exhibition curator Olga Kotkova said.
She said his unusual artistic talent and abilities secured for him the toleration of the fact that he worked for two antagonised men – reformer Luther and Cardinal Albrecht of Brandenburg.
The exhibition, which will last until January 22, 2017, also presents new discoveries and copies of Cranach the Elder’s works.
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