Renaissance Art
Noli me tangere is an absolutely amazing oil painting done by the German Northern Renaissance artist Hans Holbein the Younger between 1532 and 1533. This piece is particularly fascinating because it is one of the few Protestant depictions of Christ in the visual arts during this time. This is due majorly to the dawn of the Protestant Reformation in Northern Europe during the 16th century. The Protestant Reformation was a religious movement meant to reform the Catholic Church and is generally considered to have begun with Martin Luther’s publicizing of his 95 Theses in 1517—which was a public criticism of several doctrines of the Church and the sale of indulgences in particular (Protestant Reformation.). During this time the visual arts experienced a significant shift in style and subject matter. Iconoclasm was rampant in the northern countries and a general stigma toward religious subject matter in the visual arts developed. Portraiture became mode and a more naturalistic style of art began to flourish (Naturalism (arts).).
This new style and public mentality is quite evident in Holbein’s aforementioned piece. Holbein refrains from using the iconic elements in his depiction of Christ that were common of the Italian Renaissance and a reflection of Catholic doctrine. For example, his Christ lacks a halo, or a ring of light about the head, which commonly signified the holy nature of an individual in Italian Renaissance art (The Reformation and art.). Additionally, Noli me tangere is painted in a far more naturalistic manner than humanist (the style popular in Italy). Much attention is given to detail and the prominent figures of the painting (Christ, on the left, and Mary Magdalene, on the right) are very individualistic (Noli me tangere.). They’re faces are incredibly expressive and life like. Holbein’s piece is also quite small—a dramatic difference between Northern and Italian Renaissance art during the time of the Reformation. Italian Renaissance art tended to be quite massive, covering entire walls and ceilings, whereas visual arts during the Reformation began to decrease in size.
I am particularly fond of Holbein’s Noli me tangere because of its extraordinary attention to detail and its life-like figures. If you look closely at the bottom of the oil painting you can see individual blades of grass that Holbein painted into the hill and even Christ’s and Mary Magdalene’s toenails! Considering the relatively small size of the painting (76.1×95.2 cm), this must have been quite tricky to accomplish. The figures of Christ and Mary Magdalene are also incredibly life like. They’re robs actually look soft and their skin looks alive. One is able to experience the intensity of the moment between these two figures (Mary has just discovered Jesus alive after being crucified) because of this amazing attention to detail on Holbein’s part in painting their expressions. Mary truly looks shocked, and one can actually see her eyes bulge slightly at the sight of Jesus.
%3B_Hans_Holbein_the_Younger.JPG "Noli me tangere")
References Cited:
Naturalism (arts). 2009. 16 Sept. 2009
Noli me tangere. 2009. 16 Sept. 2009
Protestant Reformation. 2009. 16 Sept. 2009
The Reformation and art. 2009. 16 Sept. 2009
Picture: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8c/Noli_me_tangere_(1524)%3B_Hans_Holbein_the_Younger.JPG
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Hi Jo!
I think you chose a really great painting to highlight in your blog. I like that you mentioned how many details you can see in the facial expressions of Mary and Jesus. I can imagine Mary reaching out to touch Jesus to see if he is real or not. As for Christ not having a halo, I thought there appeared to be some kind of yellowish glow around his head. Granted, there isn’t a well defined halo like in many of the Italian Renaissance paintings, but I think I see something there.
It is interesting to me that you said this work is quite small. I hadn’t given any thought to the painting’s size, but you are right, that would certainly set it apart from the enormous frescoes that were so common in Italy.
Wow1 You really picked a stunning piece. I didnt quite get how it was related to any of the items listed in the original assignment but it is beautiful nonetheless. You really went into detail about the reformation and iconoclast and you were really detailed about the background but not about the painting itself. You explained well why you liked the work and I found myself loving it for the same reasons. I think you did end up connecting it well to the influences of the renaissance and all in all did a good job! Thanks for sharing!
Rachel
correction my comment says its rachelsmusing.wordpress.com but there is supposed to be an s at the end of musing…just in case you need to contact me. sorry
Excellent! One thing that distinguishes the reformation movement in England is the impetus behind the reformation. This is certainly reflected in the very fact that this work exists. Because the major impulse behind the reformation in England came from the throne; rather than religious philosophy, the direction of the changes took a different track. Even to this day the Episcopal Church (The Church of England) is more similar to the Catholic Church than the other Protestant denominations.
I’m sure that it is no coincidence that King Henry VIII’s court painter painted a religious work that was considered acceptable.
I really like the art from the time. It shows the beauty within. Holbein has a good eye for art. So what did you get from this time? Also what stood out to you about his art then anyone else? I was jus wondering your views of him.
This blog is amazingly in depth. It makes me think the writer of it is an expert at art. The details of which were presented really allowed me to see the picture better for myself. There was an awful lot read into the meaning of the painting such as in the idea that the eyes were bulging. All the factual information was stated in the blog post. I can understand why they liked this piece by there explanation. There was a great connection to the Renaissance period through the use of terminology used from that time period. The links provided substantiated your information. My reaction to the post is that the person knows alot about art. The picture is very nice an I agree there is much detail.
I thought you did very good researching your piece of work and sharing your thoughts. Your “blogging” skills are quite fine and interesting. The information seems factual except in various websites it says this painting was done in 1524. I also fail to see where the place of this painting took place. Although I did liked how you linked it to the Protestant Reformation. I also enjoy the amount of detail that was put into this work, my favorite being the stern look that Jesus is giving to Mary. After such time from each other, I would expect a different reaction. I agree with angelicafloyd about the halo though. There seems to be a slight line of yellow and with the attention of detail that Holbein put in his work, I doubt he would put that there without it signifying something. I can easily relate to why you enjoyed this piece though. But could you share what website you found the date of the painting? Your date could be right, who knows websites always seem to be a little different between each of them. Excellent job!