Holbein vs Il Guercino :: Essays Papers

Holbein vs Il Guercino Most museum-goers would say that the artwork they are looking at is "impressive" or "interesting", but they would not usually be able to tell you why they think so. This is because, even though they hold that different pieces of work are equally beautiful, it is not often that the inexperienced eye would truly realize exactly what makes each work unique. Some of these factors include the period in which the work was done, the techniques used, and the overall emotion that the work displays. Even though these are not usually the first things that the average museum-goer thinks of, they are surely some of the most significant reasons for why art attracts so many different people with a variety of tastes and interests. Two excellent examples of how these aspects add to the magnificence of a painting while still retaining each work's uniqueness can be seen in comparing Sir Thomas More, by Hans Holbein the Younger, and Sampson Captured by the Philistines, by Guercino. These two paintings are both masterpieces in their own respects, displaying the exceptional talents of the artists and encompassing the nature of paintings during their time. Sir Thomas More, painted in 1527, is a portrait done by Hans Holbein the Younger. The portrait shows Sir More posing still, from the waist up, seated in front of green drapery, with one arm lightly resting on a type of wooden panel. This painting accurately encompasses the civil situation and spirit of the Renaissance in the North. Since religious art was traveling in a downward spiral due to the Protestant Reformation, artists were forced to look for other types of commissions. Because of the improving economy, middle-class citizens started making more money and began to commission portraits of themselves. Holbein was forced to leave his home to find work in England, where he first met Sir Thomas More and portrayed several other great humanists of the time. Holbein's painting of Sir More displays the intricate details, definite lines, rich colors, and illusionism that are associated with the Northern Renaissance. The details in this painting are countless. The individual strands of hair at Sir More's hairline, the wrinkles on his knuckles, the easily observable difference between the color of his irises and his pupils, and the "SS" chain around his neck are all details that may be easily overlooked if one was not thinking about it.