That Hans Holbein the Younger (1497-1543) was one of the supreme portrait painters has never been in doubt,” wrote the eminent art critic Robert Hughes (Time magazine/ June 20, 1983). “Anyone who has seen his painting ‘The Ambassadors’— two wary young traders amid their pellucid clutter of emblematic objects, with an anamorphic blur of a skull floating strangely across the inlaid floor — knows that at once.”
Hughes went on to explain how Holbein was one of the great minds of the Northern Renaissance; how he was a truly international artist, working in Germany, France, Switzerland, Italy, and especially England; and how, despite the powerful integrity of his style, Holbein’s work was receptive to various influences.
John Berger, another authoritative critical voice, also discussed Holbein’s painting ‘The Ambassadors’ in his seminal work, ‘Ways of Seeing’ (1972). After providing a detailed description of the painting, Berger notes: “In the foreground of Holbein’s Ambassadors, there is a mysterious, slanting, oval form. This represents a highly distorted skull: a skull as it might be seen in a distorting mirror… What is significant for our argument is that the skull is painted in a (literally) quite different optic from everything else in the picture. If the skull had been painted like the rest, its metaphysical implication would have disappeared; it would have become an object like everything else, a mere part of a mere skeleton of a man who happened to be dead.”
Concealed codes
Painted in 1533, ‘The Ambassadors’ is often described as one of the most impressive portraits of Renaissance art. The double portrait surrounded by a range of symbolic objects also exemplifies anamorphic art. Besides a string of scientific instruments and a lute with a broken string, it features an anamorphic skull at the bottom centre that is clearly visible only when viewed from a specific angle; from other perspectives, it appears distorted or abstract. While ‘The Ambassadors’ is an oft-quoted painting of anamorphic art, artists throughout history have engaged in creating works of optical illusion that have captivated viewers in intriguing ways. Through an intellectually rigorous act of visual distortion, they have compelled the viewers to actively engage in the process of perception by rendering the images unrecognisable until viewed from specific, prescribed vantage points or reflected in curved mirrors or lenses.
This unique art of anamorphosis often creates the appearance of movement and concealed codes. Various media have been used to create this art, including painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, and digital art. Anamorphic art is an ever-evolving genre, with artists applying new tools and techniques. An extremely demanding genre, it involves great imagination, meticulous planning, and flawless execution. A thorough understanding of elements such as lighting, scale, and perspective is essential to achieve the desired visual effects. The power of anamorphic art lies in its ability to challenge, rearrange, and ultimately deceive the viewer’s perception of reality.
A matter of perception
The history of artists who have engaged in anamorphic art is extensive, spanning various time periods. While Leonardo da Vinci’s notebooks contain a series of “anamorphic” sketches, Baroque architects took the illusion a step further, turning entire ceilings into breathtaking celestial vistas. Andrea Pozzo (1642-1709) engineered dazzling frescoes that appear three‑dimensional from the aisle of the Church of Sant’Ignazio in Rome. M C Escher’s Print Gallery (1956) is an anamorphic puzzle featuring a spiral of paintings. Salvador Dalí (1904-1989) also explored three‑dimensional anamorphosis with sculptures and paintings. Throughout these different eras, while the tools and techniques changed, the fundamental goal of manipulating perspective remained constant. Anamorphic art has experienced a powerful resurgence in recent decades through 3D street art (pavement chalk drawings), muralism, and interactive digital installations —forms that fundamentally change the viewer’s physical relationship to the work. This shift to public, interactive spaces and new tools enables artists to manipulate light and scale with precision that far exceeds the capabilities of Renaissance masters. The largest anamorphic artwork in the world, according to the Guinness World Records, is at the Peace Dam in South Korea. Painted in 2018, this monumental painting covers an area of over 4,700 sqm.
Miller Museum in Bengaluru
Here is some good news for Bangaloreans wanting to glimpse the power and precision of anamorphic art. The newly opened Miller Museum of Anamorphic Art celebrates the work of Shereen Miller (1941-2023), an artist born in Bengaluru whose creative journey was enriched by a global perspective, blending her experiences across different cultures. Besides anamorphic works, the museum also presents Shereen’s drawings, paintings, and teakwood sculptures.
The Miller Museum is located on Carleston Road and is open on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. (11 am to 6 pm). For further info, check: millermuseumofanamorphicart. com