An Explanation of the Painting

Click on the images below, and above, for a closer look.

Lucas Cranach the Younger finished the painting in 1555, and even after 450 years, there is a powerful luminous warmth to it that draws you in, causing you to ponder and meditate on the image it presents. The painting still stands where it was originally placed, over the altar of the St. Peter and Paul Church in Weimar, Germany.

"The Weimar Altarpiece is a stunning achievement of Cranach the Younger. The center panel is dominated by Christ on the cross, by the risen Christ triumphing over death and the devil and by the group of people proclaiming the Gospel, with Lucas Cranach the Elder himself standing out in the foreground as the redeemed sinner. On the inner side panels, which carry the portraits of Duke John Frederick and his family in the heavy, dark splendor of realistic interior, the mellow chromatic radiance of the center panel is sumptuously heightened. In contrast with the rich, subdued colors of the side panels, the center one is as radiant as a sunny day. The most delicate parts of the painting are pervaded by light; it is omnipresent, like a theological conviction." (Schade 1980, 93).

What is the message of this painting? The heart of the Lutheran Reformation: the doctrine of justification by faith alone in Christ, by grace alone, apart from any works; indeed, this is the very heart of the Christian faith itself.

This is how Martin Luther expresses it in the Smalcald Articles, one of the Lutheran Confessions contained in the Book of Concord:

“The first and chief article is this, that Jesus Christ, our God and Lord, “was put to death for our trespasses and raised again for our justification” (Rom 4:25). He alone is “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). “God has laid upon him the iniquities of us all” (Isa.53:6). Moreover, “all have sinned,” and “they are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, by his blood” (Rom. 3:23-25).

In the center background, Moses is shown teaching the ten commandments to the Old Testament prophets. They are standing on a circle of barren path, along with a figure representative of all human beings who are under the law’s condemnation. Man is shown here being chased into the fires of hell by death (pictured as a skeleton holding a spear) and the devil (in the form of a monster wielding a club). The prophets taught, as did Moses, “Cursed be anyone who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them” (Deut. 27:26 ESV, compare Jer. 11:13). Yet it’s not only our actual sins that condemn us, but also the prior sin that we inherit from our parents (original sin). To quote the Smalcald Articles once again,

“Here we must confess what St Paul says in Rom. 5:12, namely, that sin had its origin in one man, Adam, through whose disobedience all men were made sinners and became subject to death and the devil. … The fruits of this sin are all the subsequent evil deeds which are forbidden in the Ten Commandments …”

The good news is that God in mercy and compassion saves all who trust in His Son. When the people of Israel in the wilderness sinned and were bitten by snakes, God provided a way of escape that prefigured His Son’s death on a cross. All the Israelites had to do to be saved was look at the snake mounted on a pole (Num. 21:4-9). In Cranach’s painting, this is shown in the background on the painting’s right.

To the immediate left of the snake on the pole, is the angel announcing to the shepherds the birth of the one who defeated death, hell and satan for us, for our salvation. The banner the angel is holding, though perhaps impossible to see in this photo, or maybe, due to its relative small size in the painting, would always have the words, "Glory to God in the highest" on it, thus reminding the viewer of the words of Luke 2:14.

The Weimar Altar painting has three human witnesses to the reality of what the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ means: John the Baptist, Lucas Cranach, and Martin Luther. Together they are each proclaiming Christ to us. John the Baptist is telling Lucas Cranach that the blood pouring out on him is from the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Cranach looks directly at you and effectively confessing, "This is what I believe, teach and confess." Martin Luther is showing preaching the Word of God, pointing to powerful passages from that Word that declare the truths the painting pictures.

Notice that Luther's feet and hands are positioned like those of Moses. His message, however, is one of gospel, not law. On his face is a look of steadfastness and serene confidence. He stands on lush grass in which flowers grow, unlike the bare, stony ground on which Moses stands.

Dominating the painting is Christ on a cross. The crucified Christ has the cold shadow of death across his face It was a real death, as horrible as is any death, but even more so since this was not a mere man suffering and dying, but the very Son of God. The amazing message of the Gospel is that by his death, Christ takes away the world’s sin. His outstretched arms reminds us that He is the world’s Saviour.

The message written in Latin on the transparent banner held by the lamb in the center foreground declares that Jesus is “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (Jn 1:29). This is the Latin inscription on the banner the lamb is holding. This was John the Baptist’s message, and John is shown standing underneath the crucified Christ on His left side.

With right hand pointing up at Christ on the cross and left hand pointing at the lamb, John is shown proclaiming the meaning of Jesus’ death to Lucas Cranach, the painter. Cranach represents all who believe. A stream of blood from Christ’s pierced side pours out on to his head. It is as the first verse on Luther’s Bible says, “The blood of Jesus Christ purifies us from all sin” (1 Jn 1:7). Therefore like Luther, Cranach also stands in peace and confidence, gazing out at the viewer of the painting. Was this merely a son's tribute to his father, when Lucas Cranach the Younger painted the Elder into the painting? Surely that, but much more: it is a bold confession of the Reformation Gospel that his father became a champion and advocate for, and an invitation to the viewer also to receive the forgiveness of sins that comes through the purifying, life-giving blood of Jesus.

There is another verse on the open Bible, to which Luther’s finger points directly. It reads, “Therefore let us approach the seat of grace with joyousness, so that we may receive mercy within and find grace in the time when help is needed” (Heb. 4:16). Such approach is possible because Jesus is our victorious high priest. Having paid for sin, He has defeated death and the devil and now lives to intercede for us.

Jesus is shown on the painting’s right as the risen One. He is bright, glowing with a radiant color, youthful and full of life. Notice that the fires of hell are coming from the base of the same mountain into which is carved the tomb from which the Risen Christ has emerged in the painting. There is powerful symbolism in that alone. Christ has suffered all that we deserve: sin, death and hell, as our substitute, taking our place.

He stands on death and the devil, with the staff of his victory flag pushed in the devil's throat. His gold-edged cloak flows toward the lamb’s banner and the cross.

As a result it’s actually both banner and cloak that bear the words, in Latin, “the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”.

“Believe in God; believe also in me,” the Lord says (Jn 14:1). From this painting His eyes meet ours, inviting us to believe in Him. The other set of eyes that meet ours belong to Cranach, the painter. His feet face in the direction of Christ. But he has turned from his adoration of Christ to look at us also, inviting us to believe and be saved along with him. Article 4 of the Augsburg Confession expresses the heart of Lutheran teaching this way:

“We receive forgiveness of sin and become righteous before God by grace, for Christ’s sake, through faith, when we believe that Christ suffered for us and that for his sake our sin is forgiven and righteousness and eternal life are given to us.”

Where did Lucas Cranach the Younger paint himself into the scene? We se his face nowhere, which is somewhat unusual, for he often appears in his father's altar pieces and his own, off to the side, or playing the part of a servant waiting on the disciples at the Last Supper. But here, in this painting, he did not include himself, at least not as visibly as in other paintings. But he is there, perhaps in one of the most powerful ways he possibly could be.

Notice the cross itself, below the nail-pierced feet of Christ. Look where that blood is flowing. It is running down on to the date, 1555, and down to Lucas Cranach the Younger's symbol, the flying dragon, which he has assumed from his father, who many years before had been given the right to use this mark on his works. This is a humble way of indicating that he, too, is covered by the blood Christ. Humbly, at the feet of the Crucified Christ, is where Cranach the Younger was content to take his place.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23). This, in summary, is the message of the Lutheran reformation and of its foremost artists, Lucas Cranach the Elder and Lucas Cranach the Younger.

A Painting that Preaches Christ
by David Buck, edited and revised by Paul T. McCain

Comments

[Andrew Packer]

Great stuff! I fell in love with this painting the first time I saw it on your blog.

[WT Odom]

Do you know why the poles are "invisible"?

[Paul T. McCain]

No, I do not, yet. Perhaps something in the various things I'm reading about the painting will have some explanation. Or perhaps somebody reading this blog might know.

[David Gray]

Good commentary on the painting. I was particularly thinking of the Rembrandt where he paints himself raising Christ on the cross...

[McCain response: Thanks for your comment. Actually, Rembrandt painted himself into the painting as one of the persons lowering the body of Christ from the cross.]

[Lisa S.]

You know... even 10 years ago, I might have still felt slightly patronizing towards people who needed to tell their story in paintings and because a significant portion of the populace was semi-literate.

We are returning to an age of imagery and icons above intellect and words. We need to learn to paint these kind of pictures for our time...

[Char]

Thanks for the description of this work. The glass or invisible staff and banner are also the most cryptic part of the painting to me. Is it because this is a spiritual truth or what? There's got to be a reason for it.

I have to add that in David Gray's comment, I believe two different paintings of van Rijn are being discussed and confused with one another. In the Raising of the Cross, he is one of the crucifiers. In Descent from the Cross, he takes the body of Christ down as a disciple. He is pretty much the central figure in both.