One of the most important artists of the Renaissance, Lucas Cranach the Elder was a court painter who influenced the Reformation through his art. He was a Saxon and worked as a court painter in Wittenberg under Frederick the Wise. His work has become emblematic of Protestant theology, and he was close friends with Martin Luther, who commissioned many of his paintings. Through his woodcuts, Cranach helped spread the Reformation throughout Europe. With the invention of the printing press, he was able to produce thousands of these prints and spread them far and wide.