The Artist’s Wife with Katherine and Philip, Han Holbein the Younger; 1528

SISTER WENDY BECKET, in her book The Story of Painting, wrote about this 16th-century portrait, a painting of the artist’s wife with their children, by Hans Holbein the Younger:

Artists have always painted their families, but this is the saddest version on record. He lived very little with his wife and children in Basel (the reasons may have been political, religious or financial), but this tragic little trio has all the withering marks of the unloved.

The dim-eyed wife presses down on the children, plain, pale little beings, all unhappy and all ailing. Holbein, that superb manipulator of the human face, cannot have meant to reveal their wretchedness and expose his neglect with such drastic effect. It is as if his art is stronger than his will, and for once Holbein is without defenses.

The court painter, native to Germany, captured the personalities of the rich and powerful of Europe by maintaining a “dignified distance,” without conveying any intimate knowledge. But here he gets closer:

Here his courtly shield is down, perhaps because of the artist’s personal sense of guilt. He was not a good husband or father, and while he can carry off any portrait with superb technical aplomb, he catches his breath and opens the inner door when he paints the family that he abandoned and neglected.

— Comments —

Hurricane Betsy writes:

After reading various interpretations of paintings, I’ve concluded that art critics in general are suffering a big case of projection. In this case, Sister Wendy sees things that I do not, try as I might. I do not see the wife “press[ing] down on the children”. It is normal to have your hand around a child’s shoulders. As to these children’s “paleness”, a lot of northern Europeans look pale, even today.

“Tragic little trio”? Isn’t that a little strong? Hostile, I’d say. I read up on Sister Wendy and it looks to me as if she’s a little tragic herself. Why would a woman shut off from herself the possibility of marriage and children in order to ultimately turn into a virginal hermit telling people how they should look at paintings? Unless maybe she herself had a cold, neglectful father and an overburdened mother?

Maybe some women don’t become nuns out of love for Jesus Christ, but rather to get away from their biological family, thinking a family of “sisters” will somehow be better, a teenage girl distant from the ups and downs of family life, ultimately becoming withered. Is being a TV star better than family life? I see hatred for father all around in the story of “Sister” Wendy’s life. I see a big-time feminist. Look at her views on gay “marriage”.

Do we really know the details of HH the Younger’s reasons for being away from the family? Do we know the details of Mrs. Younger’s daily life, and if she really was miserable? “Abandoned and neglected” indeed. The devil’s in the details.

Thank you for considering my viewpoint, which is that art “interpretation” is just another phony industry. Let me look at paintings and decide for myself, Sister.

Laura writes:

I don’t know much about Sister Wendy. Since she is part of the Novus Ordo religion, it is not surprising if she has non-Catholic views. In the Novus Ordo, the more anti-Catholic you are the more you are supposedly going to attract non-Catholics. It doesn’t work.

You write:

After reading various interpretations of paintings, I’ve concluded that art critics in general are suffering a big case of projection.

Perhaps you are suffering from a big case of projection in your dismissal of all art criticism.

“Tragic little trio”? Isn’t that a little strong? Hostile, I’d say.

It’s a subjective statement, and in my opinion it is accurate. The mother looks overcome with worry and sadness. The little girl seems sickly and the boy is looking up at his mother with grave concern.

I read up on Sister Wendy and it looks to me as if she’s a little tragic herself. Why would a woman shut off from herself the possibility of marriage and children in order to ultimately turn into a virginal hermit telling people how they should look at paintings?

So not just art criticism but the entire monastic tradition is beyond you too. I’m not going to try to explain the contemplative life to you.

Unless maybe she herself had a cold, neglectful father and an overburdened mother?

Maybe you had vain and shallow parents who fed you pizza for every meal and made it hard for you to understand nuns. I don’t know and neither do you know about Sr. Wendy.

Maybe some women don’t become nuns out of love for Jesus Christ, but rather to get away from their biological family, thinking a family of “sisters” will somehow be better, a teenage girl distant from the ups and downs of family life, ultimately becoming withered. Is being a TV star better than family life?

Maybe some people who suspect the motives of nuns don’t do this out of animosity toward the Church of Christ, but out of jealousy. Maybe they wish they could have lived a life of virginal devotion and intellectual labor too. I’m sorry you had to do the dishes instead.

Do we really know the details of HH the Younger’s reasons for being away from the family? Do we know the details of Mrs. Younger’s daily life, and if she really was miserable? “Abandoned and neglected” indeed. The devil’s in the details.

I assume Sister Wendy was not making this up. Major publishers usually require research.

Let me look at paintings and decide for myself, Sister.

Go ahead. But since you believe art criticism is projection, your own opinions are meaningless statements that are not about the paintings but about you.

Kidist Paulos Asrat writes:

The mother and her children do indeed look dejected but God somehow found them an artist who could convey their suffering even if it is their own father (husband). Perhaps that is the best he could do for them (even though their misery was induced by him – did he mean for them to suffer so he could paint them??).

 Kimberly writes:

I’ll stand with Sr. Wendy.

Holbein the Younger spent only a few years with his wife and children. He married in 1519, or 1520 and left for England in 1526. He came back in 1528 and left for good in 1532. For most of their marriage he was in England where he died. He may have sent for his son to visit but we don’t know that for sure.

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