How does Art mirror Society?

The Ambassadors

The Ambassadors was painted in 1533 by Hans Holbien the Younger. This piece of art is an oil painting painted on canvas. I believe this is a piece of Renaissance art because not only is it a double portrait, but it includes examples of still life which were both new ideas being practiced in the Renaissance time period. This piece of art reflects the Renaissance not only in the styleit was made in, but in the moment that was being captured. The Ambassadors reflect what was happening in the renaissance through the subjects and items in the painting. The people of the renaissance were driven to explore the world around them, and that is shown in the painting through the still life (objects on the table). On the table there are two globes, one being of the world around them and two mapping out the stars. There are also a variety of tools used to explore and calculate different subjects. I think these reflect what were happening in the Renaissance because the Renaissance was driven by the exploration of new knowledge and the world. The Ambassadors was painted with a knowledge of perspective, shading, and 3D. These techniques were introduced to Art during the renaissance time period. Perspective is represented in this painting through how the objects on the table are bigger in the foreground, and gradually get smaller into the background. Also, the lines of perspective on the floor tiles seem to disappear to an unknown vanishing point behind the table. Shading is used in this painting on the globes and geographical tools to give an allusion of 3d on the shape. These art techniques prove that this painting was created in the Renaissance because the techniquesthemselves were created in that time period. Both the art techniques and the subject of the painting reflect the Renaissance society, because the discovery of knew knowledge and the practice of realistic techniques were both crucial to the Renaissance time period.