Renaissance Art

What about the Reformation?

The Protestant Reformation (1517-1648)

The Protestants, in rejecting Catholic doctrine and the authority of the Catholic church, also rejected the entire tradition of Catholic art.

Martin Luther nails his 95 Theses to the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg, Saxony.

Protestant reformers rejected the use of visual art in church.

This painting shows the interior of the Choir of St. Bavo in Haarlem (Pieter Janszoon, 1660, oil on wood).

This Catholic Church was stripped of ornamentation and converted to Protestant use.

(James Jackson, The Reformation and Counter-Reformation. Web.)

Protestant reformers often tried to destroy as much Catholic art as they could. This altar piece in St. Martin's Cathedral, Utrecht, was attacked in the Beeldenstorm (“statue storm”) in 1566. This framed altarpiece became visible again after restoration in 1919 removed the false wall placed in front of it (“The Reformation and Art,” Wikipedia).

Religious art became less common in Protestant northern Europe. Hans Holbein the Younger's Noli me tangere a relatively rare Protestant oil painting of Christ. It is small, and generally naturalistic in style, avoiding iconic elements like the halo, which is barely discernible (“The Reformation and Art,” Wikipedia).

Many Protestant artists turned to secular subject matter, such as genre painting, landscape painting, portraits, and historical scenes. The work of Peter Bruegel of Flanders makes no reference to religion or classical models. (Peasant Wedding Feast, 1566-69)

Peter Brueghel, Hunters in the Snow (1565)

Lucas van Leyden, The Milkmaid, engraving (1510)

Hans Holbein, Double Portrait of Jean de Dinteville and Georges de Selve ("The Ambassadors"), 1533. Oil and tempera on oak

Albrecht Durer, a German, was very interested in the Italian Renaissance. In Adam and Eve (1504), you can see his interest in the classical, idealized human form combined with a traditional religious theme.

Going Further

• Reformation and the Counter-Reformation (Smarthistory, Khan Academy)

• The Reformation and Art (Wikipedia)

• The Reformation (Metropolitan Museum of Art)