Optical illusions have long been known: they can be found in photographs, household items and wardrobe details, as well as in nature. And, of course, optical illusions can be found in the works of artists. True, to see them, sometimes you need to turn on your wits.
Here, for example, is the painting “The Ambassadors”, painted in 1533 by Hans Holbein the Younger. Take a closer look.
In the painting we see two men – the French ambassador in London, Jean de Dinteville, and his friend, also a French ambassador, only in Venice – Bishop Georges de Selve.
But what is this strange elongated object at the very bottom, at the feet of the French ambassadors? It may seem like a bamboo stick. Let's take a closer look.
If you continue to look at the questionable detail of the painting from a right angle, you may not be able to guess what it is. However, if we change the angle, the artist's riddle will be revealed to our gaze – it is an optical illusion called anamorphosis. This is a special technique in which the shape of an object is deliberately distorted so that the object can be seen only by changing the position of the head or location relative to the painting.
Now we know that it is a skull. But what did the author mean? The experts of the National Gallery emphasize that the distorted skull symbolizes death. The reference of Hans Holbein the Younger is quite clear – everyone should remember the mortality of all things, even being a learned person (which the ambassadors in the painting are). Many artists, by the way, still encrypt such signs in their canvases.
