16th Century Art, Reflections of the Reformation

Artwork up until the Protestant Reformation was where the money was, the church. After Martin Luther's attacks, and the shift of faith away from the Catholic church, the art of the time changed. Protestant belief held no great use for artwork in their coffers and the artwork that was used were illustrations for those who could not read. I believe the printing press helped greatly in this change from massive, elaborate altarpieces to artwork that held meaning with less flair, if you will. Much of the artwork for northern Europe depicted new themes, and exploration into art that strayed away from the standard of pre-reformation works. One could say that the audience for commissions changed, from priests wanting to liven up their quarters to people who appreciated having the art as it was. I'm not saying that religion still wasn't a theme used by some, or still a strong form of communication to the common person, but it was used in a different fashion. The religious themes were shifted, some seem to be more uplifting, and less damning. The use of different mediums for artwork became popular, the printing press again being a key player. The reformation, despite being a social and even political change, affected art greatly, and throughout history I think this a constant. Without doubt one can tell that if not for the reformation, none of the artwork produced in this time would be the same.