Masterworks

For a devout Christian, such as Lucas Cranach, this picture depicts one of the crucial moments in the history of Mankind - the point of transition from a state of innocence to one of sin and guilt. We know the result: Adam and Eve are expelled from the Garden of Eden and condemned to the misery of human existence...

Hugo van der Goes lived in Ghent in the 15th century - then a wealthy and important city. Among the few facts known about him is that he only lived to be about 40. He spent the latter part of his life in a monastery near Brussels, where he died, insane, in 1482. The monumental structure of his composition mark him as one of the most outstanding artists of the 15th century...

Geertgen tot Sint Jans worked in the Dutch town of Haarlem in the later years of the 15th century. He was a lay-brother in the Order of Saint John - hence the name by which he is known to us. The patron saint of this order was John the Baptist. In this picture Geertgen shows the saint in the wilderness - actually depicted as lush woodland...

This St. John Altarpiece consists of three panels and tells the story of St. John the Baptist's life in considerable detail. The basic form of the composition is identical. Each scene is framed by a painted stone doorway like those of a Gothic church - with a pointed arch, small statues in the walls and individual scenes topped by canopies surrounding the arches...

Religious and mythological subjects seem to be the Renaissance's highest form of expression. But perhaps, portraits hold the key to the character of the age, for they show us its people. This portrait in the Gemäldegalerie depicts a jurist or lawyer. We know this from his costume - the red clothes and matching cap, with a black stole...