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Hans Holbein
German
1497-1543
Hans Holbein Galleries
Holbein always made highly detailed pencil drawings of his portrait subjects, often supplemented with ink and colored chalk. The drawings emphasize facial detail and usually did not include the hands; clothing was only indicated schematically. The outlines of these drawings were then transferred onto the support for the final painting using tiny holes in the paper through which powdered charcoal was transmitted; in later years Holbein used a kind of carbon paper. The final paintings thus had the same scale as the original drawings. Although the drawings were made as studies for paintings, they stand on their own as independent, finely wrought works of art. How many portraits have been lost can be seen from Holbein's book (nearly all pages in the Royal Collection) containing preparatory drawings for portraits - of eighty-five drawings, only a handful have surviving Holbein paintings, though often copies have survived.
David Hockney has speculated in the Hockney-Falco thesis that Holbein used a concave mirror to project an image of the subject onto the drawing surface. The image was then traced. However this thesis has not met with general acceptance from art historians.
A subtle ability to render character may be noted in Holbein's work, as can be seen in his portraits of Thomas Cromwell, Desiderius Erasmus, and Henry VIII. The end results are convincing as definitive images of the subjects' appearance and personality.
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North Layisike yucca
mk252 linden wood 35.6 x 26.7 cm painting in 1526
Painting ID:: 57115
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North_Layisike_yucca
mk252 linden wood 35.6 x 26.7 cm painting in 1526
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Thomas and his son s portrait of John
mk252 oak panel painting 36 x 36 cm in 1528
Painting ID:: 57116
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Thomas_and_his_son_s_portrait_of_John
mk252 oak panel painting 36 x 36 cm in 1528
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The portrait of Erasmus of Rotterdam
mk252 Oil on canvas 18.2 x 14.5 cm in 1530
Painting ID:: 57117
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The_portrait_of_Erasmus_of_Rotterdam
mk252 Oil on canvas 18.2 x 14.5 cm in 1530
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Writing in the Erasmus
mk255 canvas 0.43 x 0.33 meters. Paris, the Louvre
Painting ID:: 57289
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Writing_in_the_Erasmus
mk255 canvas 0.43 x 0.33 meters. Paris, the Louvre
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i rod sammetsklaning med parl-och rubinbesattning
1536
se
Painting ID:: 67496
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i_rod_sammetsklaning_med_parl-och_rubinbesattning
1536
se
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Hans_Holbein
German
1497-1543
Hans Holbein Galleries
Holbein always made highly detailed pencil drawings of his portrait subjects, often supplemented with ink and colored chalk. The drawings emphasize facial detail and usually did not include the hands; clothing was only indicated schematically. The outlines of these drawings were then transferred onto the support for the final painting using tiny holes in the paper through which powdered charcoal was transmitted; in later years Holbein used a kind of carbon paper. The final paintings thus had the same scale as the original drawings. Although the drawings were made as studies for paintings, they stand on their own as independent, finely wrought works of art. How many portraits have been lost can be seen from Holbein's book (nearly all pages in the Royal Collection) containing preparatory drawings for portraits - of eighty-five drawings, only a handful have surviving Holbein paintings, though often copies have survived.
David Hockney has speculated in the Hockney-Falco thesis that Holbein used a concave mirror to project an image of the subject onto the drawing surface. The image was then traced. However this thesis has not met with general acceptance from art historians.
A subtle ability to render character may be noted in Holbein's work, as can be seen in his portraits of Thomas Cromwell, Desiderius Erasmus, and Henry VIII. The end results are convincing as definitive images of the subjects' appearance and personality.
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ARTISTS INDEX A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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