where is that renaissance painting with those two fellers and a giant fucking random skull on the floor that looks like it was accidentally stretched out in photoshop
THANK YOU
somebody please explain
Someone once told me it’s like that because it was designed to be hung in a stairwell so the skull pops out as you walk past.
…I guess it works but you have to be at a pretty sharp angle
There was a whole trend at one point where artists would include something in their paintings (usually a skull, for whatever reason) that’s super distorted in just the right way so that it looks normal if you hold the painting up to a convex/concave mirror. I have absolutely no idea why. But I think that’s what’s going on here.
In case anyone’s curious, here’s what it looks like when you walk past it irl:
It does have a 3D effect to it! It’s pretty neat, guess it would be even more impressive to people from the 14th century.
honestly, people just looking at the skull are missing the real deal here
You can read any implied text you see in this thing, even the book, that’s how detailed it is. Look at the painting on those letters!
jesus christ you’re just showing off now, Hans!
HANS OH MY GOD
anyway, the skull apparently had some meaning about the transcendence of death, you can only see it clearly when you can’t see the world clearly and vice versa, but man, I’m all about the detail in this guy’s shit
No, I think you’re missing the real deal here
as an art historian, i think this is the best post on tumblr
According to ancient texts from that time, Confucius was almost as tall as Yao Ming, and so strong he could push open a city gate barehanded, all by himself. Dude was also a skilled archer and carriage driver.
Imagine a dude that tall and big talking to you about his philosophy lol
The huge tall man called Confucius: so I’m saying, you gotta respect your parents
Other people: *looks up at him and nods*
Confucius: when there’s harmony in all families there shall be harmony in the country
Other people: *nods really fast*
(This meme post is absolutely not the right place to ask this, but I’m both sleep deprived and unable to go to bed, so please ignore my ramblings.)
Contemporary texts are always the best source of the most “accurate” information we can gather from a time period, but I also know that other historical figures, depending on their influence, had contemporary writers lie/embellish stories about them for they’re own gain.
While I think it’s absolutely possible Confucius could have been a physically fit and imposing figure, the post did bring up some curiosity I had about him. He was obviously famous for his day, but was he so influential that enemies or those who disagreed with Confucius could see a gain in altering his image? Same goes for those who followed him. Is it possible these contemporary descriptions would be embellished so that others of the time period would visualize Confucius as this physically (and mentally) superior being?
I would love someone who knows more about this topic to enlighten me!
