Hans Holbein, The Ambassadors

1524 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The renaissance impact on the art world

Hans Holbein
The Ambassadors

❦Introduction
The Ambassadors is one of the most complex and arguably portrait which Holbein had painted. The purpose of this report is to analyze Han Holbein?fs painting, ?gThe Ambassadors?h. The main task of this report is to uncover the meaning of this painting, as it still remains unclear. Firstly, I will give a short introduction about the painter. Then, I will examine the characteristics of the people and the objects in the painting. Lastly, I will attempt to identify the meaning of the painting.

❦About Han Holbein
Hans Holbein the younger was a German artist born in Augsburg, Bavaria. He was an outstanding portrait and religious painter and his works ranges from woodcuts, glass paintings, illustrating books, portraits and altarpieces. Hans Holbein was also the appointed court painter to Henry VIII of England in 1536. It is estimated that during the last 10 years of his life, Holbein painted approximately 150 portraits of royalty and nobility and he also designed costumes, silverware and jewelry for the court.
Holbein?fs other famous art works include the remarkable woodcuts piece, ?gThe Dance of Death?h and illustrations for Luther's Bible, the ?gMadonna of Burgomaster Meye?h altarpiece. Unfortunately, Holbein died in London in 1543 during a plague epidemic.

❦The Ambassadors
This painting was painted at the time that Henry VIII was trying to divorce his first wife Catherine of Aragon so he could marry Anne Bolyne, the second of his six wives.

Character: Two men in the painting
The character to the left is Jean de Dinteville, aged 29, French ambassador to England in 1533. To the right stands his friend, Georges de Selve, aged 25, Bishop of Lavaur, who acted on several?@occasions as ambassador to the Emperor, the Venetian Republic and the Holy See. Dinteville wearing an opulent, fur-lined coat and decorated with the Order of St. Michael, while de Selve's clothes are more restrained. The French ambassador Dinteville was on an official visit from France to calm the growing tensions between Henry VIII, King of England, and Pope Clement VII. On the other hand, De Selve mission was to represent the interests of the Catholic Church. Two of them are good friends and this painting was painted during Dinteville?fs visit to London.

Objects on the Top Shelf
There a...

... middle of paper ...

...how the way Holbein had drew the skull. According to the experts, it?fs real shape could only be seen by the viewer on a certain angle. I suspect that when the viewer look at it the right angle, the real shape will reveal but the other part of the painting would not visible in the viewer?fs eye. This is very interesting as it might have another deep meaning to the painting. Maybe Holbein was trying to suggest that the two men look at things at a different angle and think differently. If they could think flexibly, they might be able to find a way to persuade Henry VIII . Was Holbein trying to hint Jean de Dinteville and George de Selve to think at a different perspective to complete their mission? The distorted skull might be an indication that if both men ?es thinking are distorted and not on the right track, it will lead to the failure of the mission.
Whatever it is I personally think that this painting has a message to it but of all the analysis made by the expert, nobody can be sure of the real meaning of the painting except the artist himself.

References:
Foister, Susan, Roy Ashok & Martin Wyld, Making & Meaning: Holbein?fs Ambassadors, London : Yale U.P., 1997

Show More
Related

  • Wayne White's 'Golden Surf Rossi: The Seventies'

    783 Words  | 2 Pages

    Wayne, transforms this painting into a three dimensional abstract piece of art. The focal point of the painting are the figures that look like letters and numbers that are in the front of the piece of art. This is where your eyes expend more time, also sometimes forgiving the background. The way the artist is trying to present this piece is showing happiness, excitement, and dreams. Happiness because he transmits with the bright colours. After probably 15 minutes on front of the painting I can feel that the artist tries to show his happiness, but in serene calm. The excitement that he presents with the letters, numbers and figures is a signal that he feels anxious about what the future is going to bring. Also in the way that the colors in the background are present he is showing that no matter how dark our day can be always will be light to

    Read More

  • Henry Ossawa Tanner's The Banjo Lesson

    1275 Words  | 3 Pages

    The painting caught my attention due to the message I received when I first laid eyes upon it. It illustrates a wise old man teaching an eager to learn young boy. I have been fortunate enough to have my very own replica of this painting in my bedroom and I have spent countless hours

    Read More

  • Compare The Portrait Of Marie Antoinetttte With Her Children

    703 Words  | 2 Pages

    During the time period, France was in serious trouble, the country was having struggles for political power and many no longer wanted the monarchy system in place. King Louis XIV ruled France with an iron fist since a very young age, he was referred to as the “Sun King”. The two paintings clearly show the social status and hierarchy involved in the everyday life during this time period. In Louis XIV, the painting was meant to be put on display in the Palace of Versailles and be a

    Read More

  • Charmin Toilet Paper Ad

    865 Words  | 2 Pages

    Advertisements are one of many things that Americans cannot get away from. Every American sees an average of 3,000 advertisements a day; whether it’s on the television, radio, while surfing the internet, or while driving around town. Advertisements try to get consumers to buy their products by getting their attention. Most advertisements don’t have anything to do with the product itself. Every company has a different way of getting the public’s attention, but every advertisement has the same goal - to sell the product. Every advertisement tries to appeal to the audience by using ethos, pathos, and logos, while also focusing on who their audience is and the purpose of the ad. An example of this is a Charmin commercial where there is a bear who gets excited when he gets to use the toilet paper because it is so soft.

    Read More

  • Biography of Lucas Cranach the Elder

    1536 Words  | 4 Pages

    Professed "painter of the Reformation," Lucas Cranach the Elder created many pieces of artwork during his career, but his work that sprouted from the end of the Renaissance and beginning of the Reformation was truly inspiring (Johnson). Judith with the Head of Holofernes, an inspiring oil on panel by Cranach, impacted society in multiple ways that would remain influential even after his death. Cranach's work played a critical role in the beginning of the Reformation and pleased the royal court in Germany during the mid 1500s, which allowed him to rise as an artist and support dangerous organizations in his spare time. This enthralling artist's specific piece was the beginning of a religious motif that would appear in his later works and inspire artists of all beliefs. Lucas Cranach the Elder impacted society through his painting Judith with the Head of Holofernes and helped shape Reformation artwork in Germany throughout his career.

    Read More

  • Giorgione: the Adoration of the Shepherds

    3228 Words  | 7 Pages

    The Interpretation/Meaning (III) will be written without any guideline points, the aim of this part will be to determine what the painter wanted to express with his piece of work and what it tells us in a symbolic or not instantly clear way. This part will also handle why the artist drew the painting the way he did it and why he chose various techniques or tools.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Portrait Of Otto Dix

    1049 Words  | 3 Pages

    Dix’s chose to use oil paints on canvas when approaching this piece, which allowed him to explore a variety of techniques particularly apparent in the expression, style, color pallet, contrast and textures manipulated throughout the painting of Dr. Heinrich Stadelman. In the portrait Dix depicts a rather miserable looking old man. Dix paints Dr. Heinrich Stadelman’s body language and facial expression in an interestingly distinct manner. He greatly manipulates the painting in many ways in order to get it to come across so captivatingly.

    Read More

  • Anne Sexton's Painting The Starrry Night By Anne Sexton

    1072 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...retation of the painting some aspects were surprising to how dark and heavy hearted she could speak, she took an interesting perspective. However in her interpretative poem she found a perspective of the painting that connected with her. As she used every stroke of darkness painted into the canvas an opportunity to have it symbolize this darkness and evil that resides in the world. It told her story and her experience of a starry night. Similarly Van Gogh had used every stroke of light painted into the canvas to be a symbol of beauty, and a symbol of his fascination of the night sky and its illuminating lights. He uses swift movements of his brush to depict a sky that seem to be able to sweep the mind away from the frustrations of this world in to the dreamy night light. A single painting worth a million words tells many stories through every perspective.

    Read More

  • Smoking Case Study Essay

    962 Words  | 2 Pages

    Smoking is terrible, or science has yet to discover any medical advantages connected with it. You'd have a hard time discovering somebody that would contend against this thought. While most normal individuals comprehend this idea, there is Surgeon General the United States, who has a message stamped on each tobacco item sold in the country. On the off chance that stopping is the point then we as a general public need to go for the proverbial jugular, and that is smoking tobacco is fatal. In promotion crusades and print ads we see numerous obstructions that would ideally keep individuals from smoking cigarettes. From "not being cool" to "yuck, you possess an aroma similar to cigarettes", what's being sugarcoated is the moderate demise that every drag from a cigarette brings on the human

    Read More

  • Meaning Of Coposition IV By Wassily Kandinsky

    794 Words  | 2 Pages

    images in this painting, all of which have the power to symbolize to us, the viewer, of the painter’s

    Read More

  • bghgfh

    1264 Words  | 3 Pages

    This painting is an oil-on-canvas painting that was painted by John William Waterhouse in 1888. The painting measures at 200 centimeters by 153 centimeters which converted to inches is 60.2 inches by 78.7 inches. The painting is one of Waterhouse’s best known oil paintings. This painting is said to be a representation from a scene from Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s 1833 poem titled “The Lady of Shallot”. The poem “The Lady of Shallot” was built upon the Arthurian legend of Elaine of Astolat, which she was mentioned in the Italian novella titled Donna di Scalotta. Tennyson’s work was popular with many Pre-Raphaelite poets and painters. Some of the artists that illustrated pain...

    Read More

  • love rules

    875 Words  | 2 Pages

    Leonardo da Vinci is perhaps the most famous artist of all time. Leonardo da Vinci was born April 15, 1452 in Florence, Italy. He was born out-of-wedlock to the wealthy father, Piero da Vinci, and peasant mother, Caterina. Little is known about Leonardo da Vinci’s early life, but he did receive an informal education where he mastered the subjects of Latin, mathematics, and geometry. As the years, progressed Leonardo became a master of his craft. Leonardo da Vinci pottered in the fields of sculpting, geology, engineering, music, architect, anatomy, cartography, writing, painting, and plant biology. Leonardo da Vinci was the ultimate Italian Renaissance polymath. Some of Leonardo da Vinci most notable works include The Last Supper, The Vitruvian Man, Lady with an Ermine, and Mona Lisa. Leonardo da Vinci worked on dozens of other projects, but with his broad expertise, he was only inclined to finish around six pieces. Arguably, one of Leonardo’s best pieces is the Mona Lisa painting. The Mona Lisa painting is not admired solely for its beauty, but its breakthrough technicality in the art world and its ability to keep the mind wondering what Leonardo da Vinci was trying to communicate to his viewers.

    Read More

  • Painting Analysis: Saturn Devouring His Son by Francisco Goya

    794 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...th color, the way he used color when it was used conveyed what was important in the piece. The body as it hangs lifeless from Saturn’s death grip is dripping with blood and it is even between the white knuckles of Saturn. In having Saturn’s knuckles white it emphasizes his grip that is so strong on the body he is drawing blood from the back. It is showing his passion in that the deed has to be done. His expression is wild and his stance is cowardly showing that he may not have wanted to do what he was doing. The message in the painting is that time consumes us all, and that is by having the god of time eating a faceless body. There is another message in this too, I believe and it is that people will do almost anything to keep their reign in power. I found this painting very stimulating and gave me many emotions. I think just because of that the piece is successful.

    Read More

  • Ad Reinhardt Abstract Painting 19601965

    2055 Words  | 5 Pages

    The composition of the painting takes place with the square of the canvas. The square is approximately 5' x 5'. A black frame surrounding the painting protrudes approximately 4" off the canvas. There is a 1" inlay between the canvas and frame. From this square, Reinhardt breaks the composition into six equal squares in three even rows. Texture is no where to be found in the painting. No visual indication of the artist's brush stroke is present. No varnished glare is given off by the piece. The entire work, including the frame, is completely matte. The squares take up the entire canvas in a checkerboard type arrangement. Each square is a slightly different shade of blue-black. It almost becomes impossible to see the difference between each square. The middle squares in the top and bottom rows shift more towards blue than the rest of the squares. The division of these middle squares become more obvious than the others. When the painting is looked at from a distance, it is almost impossible to see any of the squares at all. When looking from a far, all a viewer can see is a blackish blue canvas. As you stare longer into the painting, a halo begins to form around the corners of the canvas, creating a circle inside the square. Once you look away from the canvas, the circle is gone. With this observation in mind, we could say that the painting most definitely relies on the viewer. A viewer is required to look at the piece for its full affect. We could say that the squares in the painting are self-contained.

    Read More

  • The Bedroom By Vincent Van Gogh

    864 Words  | 2 Pages

    This painting by Vincent Van Gogh is on display at the Art Institute of Chicago Museum, in the Impressionism exhibit. There are many things going on in this painting that catch the viewer’s eye. The first is the piece’s vibrant colors, light blues and browns, bright greens, and more. The brush strokes that are very visible and can easily be identified as very thick some might even say bold. The furniture, the objects, and the setting are easy to identify and are proportioned to each other. There is so much to see in this piece to attempt to explain in only a few simple sentences.

    Read More

More about Hans Holbein, The Ambassadors

Open Document