Comparison of coherent pictures

The Beauty behind Painting

Visual analysis is an important aspect of art history. Its main purpose is to help the viewer understand and recognize the artist’s frame work by observing and analyzing different parts of the image, which should give them the basic understanding what to write about the different objects in the image. The purpose of this paper is to analyze a group of coherent pictures and write on the meaning and purpose of those pictures in their cultural context. Firstly, I will give an introduction about the painters in each paragraph. Then I will examine any object or characteristics of the person or persons in the imagines. Lastly I will examine the purpose of those pictures in their cultural context.

According to Lecture 8, “ Hans Holbein the Younger’s “ The Ambassadors” of 1533 is well known for its anamorphic [deliberately distorted] image of a skull in the foreground, but upon close perusal, the objects on the table between the two subjects prove just as fascinating” (Lecture 8, pg 3). In order to analyze a picture, you must take the picture apart. I have viewed different parts of this picture on google and I was able to see the hidden parts to the picture. There are different objects that are embedded in this painting and they represent renaissance humanism. As noticed the main focus of the painting is the two young men, which is an important aspect of humanism. Before we go into details about the two young men, let’s look at the different objects. There is a table with two shelves, on the top shelf there are different types of objects that are related to the study of astronomy, and the measuring of time, while on the second shelf there are terrestrial globe, hymns and a lute book about arithmetic. On the left is Jean de Dinteville, a French ambassador to England in 1533. To the right is his friend, Georges de Selve…, bishop of Lavaur, who is also an ambassador (The National Gallery). Jean de Dinteville is wearing a fur-linen coat and satin burgundy clothing. He is holding a dagger which has his age printed on it, which is 29. The type of clothing he is wearing suggests that he is a wealthy and successful man. Georges dressed different from Jean. He is wearing a fur cloak, which gives him a modest look. Georges rests his elbow on a book that has his age printed on it, which is 25. There is this unidentified object floating across the floor in front of the two young men, which implies that these men are always aware of death. The floating object happens to be a skull that is easily identified if viewed from the side. The skull happens to be “ the most surprising aspect of the painting, which is placed on the floor in front of the two wealthy men. The skull is rendered in anamorphic perspective, another invention of the Early Renaissance. One possibility is that this painting represents three levels: the heavens, the living world, and death” ( Wiki).