Damnation and Redemption
1529
Lucas Cranach the Elder created this brilliant visual sermon for the Protestant Reformation, splitting the canvas into a stark choice between doom and salvation. On the left, Adam and Eve bite the forbidden fruit while a terrifying skeleton and demon drag a screaming man straight into the fiery jaws of hell. Flip to the right, and the mood shifts entirely: John the Baptist points toward a crucified Christ, while the resurrected Jesus triumphantly rises from his tomb, offering a clear path to heaven. It’s basically a 16th-century infographic designed to explain Martin Luther’s radical idea that faith, not good deeds, is the only ticket to paradise.
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