Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 2, 2017)
2 // COASTWEEKEND.COM Art of the Reformation explored at Peace Lutheran Church COURTESY HOFFMAN CENTER “Yellow Poppy” by Zoe Swain ‘Strange Fauna’ opens at Hoffman gallery MANZANITA — The art of Zoe Swain and Dmitri Swain will be showcased at the Hoffman Center for the Arts Gallery in “Strange Fauna,” an exhibit that opens 3 to 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 3, and continues every Friday and Saturday 3 to 5 p.m. through Saturday, Nov. 25. Zoe’s abstract minimal- ist flower paintings and Dmitri’s narrative sculptural ceramics will be available for purchase. The Swains have created a body of visual and sculp- tural pieces that draw upon and explore man’s relation- ship to nature. Mysterious, engaging and modern, they have developed a body of intriguing works. For more information, contact hoffmancenterart- gallery@gmail.com. Piano, photography unite at Stormy Weather CANNON BEACH — During the 30th anniversary of the Stormy Weather Arts Festival, at 5 p.m. Sat- urday, Nov. 4, Cannon Beach Community Church will host an event titled “The Four Elements: Water-Wind-Fire-Earth,” a collaborative piano and photography concert, fea- turing jazz pianist David Robinson and Thomas Robinson’s nature photog- raphy projected upon a big screen. This event is a benefit for Cannon Beach Food Pantry (also sponsored by the Community Church). Please bring a donation of canned food or a cash donation to support the food pantry. This event is open to public and is part of the Fall Steinway Grand Piano Concert Series, celebrating the new Steinway Grand Piano, Model B, Community Church purchased in sum- mer 2017. ASTORIA — The ELCA (Evangelical Luther- an Church in America) Oregon Synod Columbia Coast Cluster invites the community to consider the impact of the arts in its commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation on Saturday, Nov. 4, at Peace Lutheran Church (565 12th St.). A festive worship service will be held with Bishop David Brau- er-Riecke at 2 p.m. fol- lowed by breakout ses- sions on the music and art of the Reformation. Vincent Jones-Centeno, music director of Cascadia Concert Opera and organ- ist at Grace Episcopal in Astoria, will lead a session on music and the Reforma- tion. Kristen Shauck, art instructor at Clatsop Com- munity College, will focus on the use of visual media in the Reformation. The day concludes with a festive dinner at 5 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. The dinner is a $10 charge per individual; $25 for a family of three. COURTESY STEPHAN KIENBERGER A portrait of Martin Luther by Lucas Cranach the Elder Luther’s image Printing and the arts The beginning of the Reformation is attribut- ed to Martin Luther and his posting of 95 Theses on the door of the Castle Church in the university town of Wittenberg, Ger- many. According to tradition, it was on the Eve of All Saints, Oct. 31, 1517, that Luther posted these “talking points” to initiate a discussion on certain reforms within the Roman Catholic Church. Five centuries later, Protestant churches throughout the world will commemorate this event that initiated the far from Wittenberg. These articles were often illus- trated with pictures and woodcuts. People who could not read the theolog- ical writings could “read” the images and illustra- tions that, for example, the workshop of the Cranach family produced in endless quantity. The relationship between Luther and the Cranach family helped spread of the Reformation. Lucas Cranach the Elder was the court painter to the Electors of Saxony and a resident of Wittenberg. What Luther did through his theological writings, Cranach did through his workshop; through paintings, woodcuts and engravings. COURTESY STEPHAN KIENBERGER A portrait of Martin Luther by Lucas Cranach the Elder global church movement known as Protestantism. Printing and the arts are essential elements of the Reformation. In fact, the Reformation could be seen as a byproduct of Johannes Gutenbergs’s invention of letterpress printing. The dawn of a new me- dia age ensued through the mass printing and distribu- tion of fliers and brochures that reached populations Luther embraced music and the arts. In fact, Lu- ther used any media that could advance what he felt was the central call of the Gospel message, namely, that we are made right with God and one another through God’s gracious love in Jesus Christ. Therefore, just as Luther did not wince from employing visual depictions to advance his message, he also embraced music and singing, as he knew these forms could reach people in many ways. These elements — the printing press and influ- ential artists like Cranach — made Luther a media star in his day. Depictions of Luther became the most popular and widely distributed images of the 15th century. This is an amazing precedent consid- ering that Luther was not a member of the nobility, but a lowly albeit educated monk.
