German Renaissance

Here's a gem of a painting from the brush of Luchas Cranach The Elder: Samson and Delilah (c. 1537). The notion that a knight merely removed his gauntlets and kicked off his boots before crashing out after a day's mayhem is totally ridiculous, as well as historically inept. And the seductive Delilah as a prim housefrau is laughable. But Cranach's ignorance of perspective is cleverly disguised by a dark forest that hides his inability to link foreground, middle distance and horizon, and the whole picture works as an enchanting entertainment. This is one of 234 works to be found in Dürer and Cranach: Art and Humanism in Renaissance Germany at the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza and Fundación Caja Madrid, which opened yesterday. This is the first exhibition in Spain to attempt a full picture of the German Renaissance. Last day: 6 January 2008.