Original scientific paper

https://doi.org/10.34075/cs.56.4.5

Ontological key for understanding the painting Dead Christ in the Tomb by Hans Holbein Jr.

Daniel Miščin orcid.org/0000-0003-0422-3124 ; Faculty of Philosophy and Religious Sciences, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia

Abstract

The paper starts from the premise that Holbein's painting The Dead Christ in the Tomb was originally conceived as a tombstone in the Basel Carthusian Monastery. It focuses on the text of the epitaph which was intended to accompany the painting. The author emphasizes the importance of the ontological semantic layer of the epitaph and develops the ontological key for understanding Holbein's painting, connecting it with the traditional Carthusian admonition memento mori. Considering the ontological meaning of this admonition, the anxiety which can be provoked by observing Holbein’s Dead Christ is interpreted in the context of the notion of Nothingness (das Nichts) in the existential analysis of Martin Heidegger and Bernhard Welte.

Keywords

Holbein; Dead Christ; ontology; Heidegger; Welte

Hrčak ID:

267255

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/267255

Publication date:

22.12.2021.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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