We might all be familiar with Hans Holbein the Younger from his vivid portraits of Henry the VIII and other figures from that time and with portraits of Erasmus and Sir Thomas More for example. But what actually intrigued me were his witty drawings related to Erasmus’s book “In Praise of Folly” 1506. It is not only the draughtsmanship talent that he exhibited from an early age, but the projection of the world around him, the understanding of its complexity and the satirical critique of the elite class at the time, not to mention the bravery to criticise and mock the elite, the clergy.
It might seem ludicrous to put a medieval artist behind a lens and try to anticipate the images, but as always if is a fun experiment.
Based upon his works we can see that Realism (as he painted in the style of Northern Renaissance ) would without doubt be his thing, as well as the critique of the contemporary society. It might be that a position like a “White house official photographer” would suit him the most, but as I don’t have access to such photography I will go to the other side of his talents – witty critique of contemporary society.
Where would he find the subjects for his stories? Well, the most obvious is street photography as it is something one has access to but also it is the most obvious place to see the effects of consumerism, social issues and similar subject matters.
His photography would perhaps encompass in one frame a witty composition that focuses on a subject that is either out of touch with the surroundings or, as in his drawings, a person that lives in a bubble of his own world. The aim here is not to produce a photograph that would mimic or look like his paintings, but rather give them a contemporary photography touch.
I find this composition interesting for the fact that the man is pushing a supermarket cart ( that is obviously out of place and doesn’t belong to the environment the man is in ) and at the same time he his carrying a large toy and other items that were abandoned by someone, so in a way it may speak of the excess of consumerism while tackling a social issue at the same time.
As always it is all highly subjective but nevertheless a fun photographic experiment.