Noli me Tangere revisited

On Easter Sunday in 2017, I published a post about Noli me tangere - suggested to be the first words words said by Christ on meeting Mary Magdelene in the Garden of Gethsemane.

The Latin words 'Noli Me Tangere' mean 'Do not touch me', and refer to the episode of Mary Magdalene's first encounter with Christ after his Resurrection. National Gallery

There have been very many drawings, paintings, fine art prints of the biblical scene of Mary Magdelene recognising Jesus Christ after his resurrection. It's an iconic and artistic motif which has continued for centuries. 

On this Easter Morning I've reprised the post:

• Today I've found the images (mainly in Wikimedia Commons) and put them in an album on my Facebook Page - with the details of each image from the original blog post.
• plus I've found a new image - by two past masters of Netherlandish art

Artworks have been produced by very many notable artists. My blog post documented various of the artworks in chronological order. They include: Giotto, Duccio, Fra Angelico, Memling, Botticelli, Dürer, Titian, Holbein, Poussin, Lorrain

This is an additional - and unusual - image. It was painted by BOTH Jan Brueghel the Younger, Peter Paul Rubens. Rubens did the figures and Brueghel did the landscape and plants. One interesting aspect is that Christ is portrayed as a gardener and while flowers are still in bloom the vegetables are ready to be harvested— which I gather is an allusion to Paradise.

Christ Appears to Mary Magdalene on Easter Morning (Noli me tangere) c. 1626
Jan Brueghel the Younger, Peter Paul Rubens
59.0 x 100.0cm, oil on wood
Kunsthalle Bremen - Der Kunstverein in Bremen

In addition, this Wikimedia Commons Category:Paintings of Noli me tangere has the paintings ordered by century in date order.

Holbein: Drawing, Painting, Materials & Techniques

The Holbein at the Tudor Court Exhibition at the King's Gallery closes today. I'd spent forever making up my mind about when to go - but not booking - and then realising I need to get a move on. Which is how come I saw it yesterday. You can see some of my pics from it on my Facebook Page

To be absolutely honest, I enjoyed the "Holbein in England" exhibition at Tate Britain in 2007 much more and it remains a vivid memory for me. (see Holbein in England - and at Tate Britain). Mainly because it which contained more portraits by Holebin including my favourite Holbein portrait "A lady with a Squirrel' plus Holbein's portrait of Erasmus

The Kings Gallery exhibition had three parts about artworks by Hans Holbein the Younger (1497-1543)

• mainly paintings from other artists of the same era
• drawings by Holbein and miniature portraits by Holbein
• large paintings and some large portraits and more drawings by Holbein + four miniatures by Holbein

One of the most interesting part of the exhibition came after the exit. A small exhibition in one room at the top of the stairs contained information about Holbein's art materials and the techniques he used for his portrait drawings and also his miniatures.

Holbein: Materials and Techniques

A view of part of "Holbein: Materials and Techniques"

I promptly took photos of all of it and have uploaded them all to an album on Facebook on my Facebook Page called Holbein: Materials and Techniques - so 

• if you missed it or you enjoy finding out about the materials used by artists in the past, you can have a peek and see for yourself.
• I've also added comments about specific materials and techniques where I knew something which wasn't included in the exhibition.

There are also more resources about Holbein on the Royal Collection website - listed below

• Holbein's Portrait Drawings - about how Holbein created his drawings
• Holbein in the Royal Collection
• images of the Holbeing drawings and paintings in the Royal Collection

What I find interesting is that Holbein was a royal artist - he was appointed the King's Painter in 1536.  To all intents and purposes his stay in England related to his contacts within the Royal Family and the Tudor Court. 

I've not yet found an explanation for why so many of the better known paintings by Holbein are NOT in the Royal Collection. For example, 

• the 'cartoon' drawing of King Henry VIII by Hans Holbein the Younger is in the National Portrait Gallery. This was made in preparation for the very large painting which used to hang in Whitehall Palace - but was destroyed in the fire in1698.
• The Ambassadors - which is a very large, important and unique painting - is in the National Gallery.

The other interesting fact about Holbein is just how many portraits there are by artists "after Holbein". He was a much copied artist. There again he is regarded as one of the most important portrait artists ever!

If you look at the collection of Holbein portraits and drawings in the National Portrait Gallery, you'll find that most are "after Holbein"

The King's Painter: The Life and Times of Hans Holbein by Franny Moyle

Hans Holbein the Younger - a self portrait

 

Yesterday I started listening to podcast The King's Painter: The Life and Times of Hans Holbein on BBC Sounds on my iPhone. 

It's Book of the Week this week - and there's an episode being broadcast every day. Each is available on BBC Sounds for 30 days from the date of the first broadcast. 

The thing I love about BBC Sounds is you can save them up and (my personal favourite) download them and then splurge on listening to a number of episodes while taking a walk - or chopping the vegetables....

The book by Franny Moyle isn't published until later this month (see below). She's apparently got a good track record of analysing painter's methods (having also written about Turner) - but I've not got to that bit yet

The reader is the theatre and television actor Sir Simon Russell Beale. I was left wondering if he was chosen for a certain likeness to Holbein himself - or maybe Henry VIII - whose portrait Holbein famously painted.....

That's because, to be honest, Beale reads rather too fast for my liking and without enough change of pace or intonation. See what you think.

However, when it comes to the book, I'm getting a very good impression. Content wise, the book is fascinating about his background and family and the ways of the world for artists and artisans in 16th century Europe. I'm looking forward to Episodes 2-5 of this story of the extraordinary life of this outstanding artist of the 16th century.

This is the synopsis.

Hans Holbein the Younger became court painter to Henry VIII and was regarded as a phenomenon in his day for his ability to bring the characters he painted to life.

His famous portrait of the Tudor King was so life like spectators fully expected arms and legs to move. One of his paintings of the dead Christ was so alarming that, when the Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky saw it in 1867, he was so troubled by it that his wife had to drag him away fearing he might have an epileptic fit.

Holbein observed the extraordinary events of his century up close and painted the movers and shakers of the age including Desiderius Erasmus, Thomas More, Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII, as well as the various women lined up to become the wives of the king, such as Anne of Cleves.

He was a contributor to the history of book design as well as designing jewellery, and elaborate weaponry. With a family in Basel and another in London, his life was as colourful as the times he lived through.

 

Hans Holbein the Younger

Hans Holbein the Younger (1497 - 1543) was an extraordinarily talented draftsman and painter from a very young age. He went on to become one of the most important painters in 16th century Europe.

He has long been a favourite painter of mine - but I don't know a lot about him other than the research I did for a couple of previous posts (below) - which includes references to more information about him

• Holbein in England - and at Tate Britain - about an exhibition I can vividly remember even now - right down to where specific paintings were in the galleries - despite the fact it happened in 2007! 
• "Holbein: Eye of the Tudors" - Waldemar Januszczak's Culture Show Special tonight (January 2015) - about a programme on BBC2  
• The Encounter: Drawings from Leonardo to Rembrandt - review (2017) - which included a wonderful wall of Holbein drawings
  

 

Lady with a Squirrel
- one of my favourite Holbein portraits

 

I also produced a website About Hans Holbein - Famous Portrait Painter which I must transfer at some point to a better platform 

My sketch from
the Holbein Exhibition at the Tate (2007)
from the days when I routinely took
sketchbook, pen and coloured pencils
to all exhibitions

 

The King's Painter: The Life and Times of Hans Holbein by Franny Moyle