The Guardian Charts the Satirical Political Stance of Hans Holbein’s Woodcut Series

November 1st, 2016

An article in The Guardian this week notes the often comically grisly images of Hans Holbein’s woodcut pieces as a sort of early political cartoon, noting its frank political critiques and satirical position towards the powerful figures of the artist’s day.  “The judges, the notaries, all those who should help poor people, it’s clear [from his woodcuts] that Holbein thought they were open to bribes and dismissive of those they should help,” says Ulinka Rublack, professor of early modern history at the University of Cambridge.  “The invisibility comes through of those at the margins of society. I don’t know any other graphic work of the period that does that, that speaks so strongly for the poor, for those who are invisible,” she said.

Read more at The Guardian