By Faith Alone

This painting, called the Crucifixion with the Converted Centurion, was painted by Lucas Cranach the Elder in 1536.  Lucas Cranach was a painter and engraver who worked for Frederick the Wise of Saxony in Wittenberg.  He painted with bold compositions and intense colors.  Cranach was friends with Martin Luther and worked on many Protestant pieces; he looked after the printing of Luther’s pamphlets, created altarpieces for Protestant Churches, painted portraits of reformers, and made woodcuts for Luther’s Bible.  The influence Protestantism had on Cranach can be seen in his paintings, such as the Crucifixion and the Converted Centurion.  This painting depicts the religious redemption of the centurion.  Jesus is dying on the cross, his body contrasting with the dark and stormy sky.  Inscribed in German are Jesus’s last words, “Father, into thy hand I commend my spirit,” and the the Centurion exclaiming, “Truly, this man was the Son of God.”  This scene displays the Luther’s concept of salvation by faith alone; the centurion, dressed in 1500s armor, represents the “Knight of Christ,” who defends his beliefs against anything.Though he participated in Jesus's crucifixion, the centurion is redeemed through his newfound faith in God.



Sources:
https://www.artsy.net/artwork/lucas-cranach-the-elder-the-crucifixion-with-the-converted-centurion
http://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/Collection/art-object-page.46168.html