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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.