Reformation in Northern Europe has an effect on painting - Essay Example

Reformation in Northern Europe and the emergence of landscape painting The reformation period emerged in the sixteenth century and put an instant end to the relative co-existence that had thrived for the previous centuries in western chriastian religious society under the Catholic church. Reformation began in Germany, and was amplified by the corrupt practices and manipulation of church administration. The main idea of reformation was an initiative to resist these practices. The reformation offered an alternative view of the christian practice.

In fact, reformation led to the fromation of protenstantism with constituent branches spread across Europe. The spread of reformation was enahanced by use of images, which become remarkably effective in dissemination of information regarding the negaitve practices of the church that the reformationists were opposed to thus art was applied to popularize the reformation movement (metmuseum.org). First, the main cause of the reformation was deeply rooted in dissatisfaction with the practices upheld by the church.

This movement is attributed to protests founded by a German named Martin Luther who was an Augustinian monk. In 1517, he expressed his arguments against the abuse of indulgences that were solely official pardons granted upon repentance of one’s sins. The particular objection raised by the reformist was the parctice of selling indulgences that allowed christians to literary buy their “ticket” into heaven. This practice had become quite popular in the beginning of the 16th century. Martin Luther, the founder of the reformation objected to the basic tenets of the Roman Catholic Church, which entailed the clergy’s exclusive manadate to grant salavation.

Martin Luther believed that a person’s salvation was dependent on an individual’s faith and not solely on priestly mediation. In addition, Martin Luther considered the Bible to be the true and ultimate source of Chriastians’ salvation. The reformation movement gained a lot of popularity moreson in Northern Europe. However, the reaction to protests againt the Roman Church varied in different countries (kelseysager.wordpress.com). In an attempt to curb the protests against the church in Germany the efforts of Charles V the emperor were all in vain.

Elector John, who was Fredrick’s brother and a steadfast succesor was hostile and unfriendly to the emperor and defended protestantism. In the advent of the middle century, the vast population of Germany had become protestants. King Henry VIII who was England’s steadfast Catholic church follow split from the Roman Catholic church upon the pope’s refusal to inaviladate his marrigae to Catherine of Aragon. Through the Act of Supremacy, Henry was made the head of the Roman Church in England in 1534 and the position came to be shared by all future Kings (metmuseum.org). In 1536, Desirius Erasmus, a resilient opponent of the Reformation was in the limelight for his efforts to bring about the reconciliation of Catholics and protestants, which was an ideal that came into reality in 1955 with the religious ruling of peace of Augsburg by the diet of the Roamn Empire.

This lead to the independence of protestants, who attained freedom to worship accordance to their view of christian practice. In recognition to reformers’ criticism and accomodation of their ideology, protestants had the chance to express their beliefs in art. For instance, the art of Christ Blessing that is surrounded by a donor and his family. Artists who were in support of the reformation movement developed a series of repertoire of traditional images to emphasize the teachings of Protestant Christainity.

For instance, they developed the arts, Christ and theAdulteress and Christ Blessing the Children, The calling of Mathew. The reformation was intergrated with landsacpe painting ,which involved painting that were comcerned with nature and had secular content other than previous strictly religious paintings (metmuseum.org). Works Cited Wisse, Jacob. "The Reformation". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000. Web. 29 June 2012. Coulton, G. Art and the Reformation. 2d ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1953.

Web 29 June 2012. Bowen, “The History of Art” Effects of the Protestant Reformation on Northern European Art, Feb 8, 2012. Web. 29 June 2012.