Hans Holbein the Younger is best known for his work in Henry VIII's England, where he painted portraits and designed decorative objects for courtly circles. England, however, only accounts for half of Holbein's working life. He developed his artistic identity on the Continent, creating a diverse range of artworks for urban elites, scholars, and publishers. Translating Nature into Art argues that by the time Holbein reached England, he had developed two roughly alternative styles of representation: a highly descriptive and objective mode, which he used for most of his portraiture, and a much more stylized and inventive manner, which he applied primarily to religious, historical, and decorative subjects. Jeanne Nuechterlein contends that when Holbein used his stylized manner, he acknowledged that he was the inventor of the image; when Holbein painted a portrait or a religious work in the objective manner, he implied instead that he was observing something in front of him and reproducing what he saw. By establishing this dialectic, Holbein was actively engaging in one of the central debates of the Reformation era concerning the nature and validity of the visible world. Holbein explored how much art should look like the visible world, and in the process discovered alternative ways of making representation meaningful.

About the Author

Jeanne Nuechterlein is Senior Lecturer of History of Art at the University of York.

Reviews

"Translating Nature into Art is a fascinating case study of the long-standing debate about the relationship between naturalism and meaning, between appearance and essence, in art. It is not casual reading, but diligence will be rewarded with a better understanding not just of Hans Holbein but of all art."

-R. K. Dickson The Bloomsbury Review

"Nuechterlein rewards her readers with wonderfully sensitive observations about Holbein's art and his possible intentions. Translating Nature into Art is richly rewarding. Nuechterlein proposes a method for understanding Holbein's stylistic decisions and their theoretical underpinnings. . . . Nuechterlein's exercise in careful study of a limited number of works yields stimulating new insights. For this reader, the book makes Holbein the artist both more human and more interesting."

-Jeffrey Chipps Smith Visual Resources: An International Journal of Documentation

"In this subtle, original and admirably clearly written book Nuechterlein explores both the nuances of Holbein's visual language and the German and Latin constructions used in the writings of his contemporaries, at the same time placing the artist's work at the heart of contemporary debates on the use of images."

-Susan Foister Burlington Magazine

"[Nuechterlein's] arguments throughout are fresh, insightful, thoroughly researched, and persuasively and eloquently set forth. Sixteenth-century scholars, both in the field of art history and beyond, will find rich stimulation in this welcome new work."

-Bobbi Dykema Sixteenth Century Journal

Book Information
ISBN 9780271036922
Author Jeanne Nuechterlein
Format Hardback
Page Count 264
Imprint Pennsylvania State University Press
Publisher Pennsylvania State University Press
Weight(grams) 1157g
Dimensions(mm) 254mm * 203mm * 25mm