THE ANAMORPHOSIS OF TRUTH: A HERMENEUTIC-DIALECTIC ANALYSIS OF PERSPECTIVISM IN HOLBEIN’S THE AMBASSADORS
Abstract
This article analyzes the work The Ambassadors, by Hans Holbein the Younger, from a hermeneutic-dialectic perspective. The objective was to investigate the tensions between the height of Renaissance scientific knowledge and the inevitability of human finitude. Methodologically, qualitative research was conducted based on a bibliographic survey and iconographic analysis. The discussion was structured into three analytical axes: the Thesis, addressing order and idealism in Plato and Kant; the Antithesis, examining rupture and perspectivism in Nietzsche and Foucault; and the Synthesis, utilizing Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenology to demonstrate the necessity of the body-subject in apprehending reality. The results indicated that the anamorphic skull challenges the frontal and static view of traditional science, requiring a physical and epistemological displacement of the observer for the revelation of truth. It was concluded that the work functions as a visual treatise on the limits of reason, highlighting that authentic knowledge emerges from situated perception and the acceptance of one’s own finitude. The analysis reinforces the importance of considering multiple angles and the presence of the subject in the construction of contemporary knowledge.
Author Biographies
Bachelor’s degree in Nursing from Centro Universitário CESMAC; Postgraduate student (Lato Sensu) in Hemotherapy and Cellular Therapy at Universidade Iguaçu (UNIG); Author of the book “The Neurodivergent Spark – Understanding the Giftedness of Jesus in the Apocryphal Gospel of Pseudo-Thomas” (ISBN: 978-6501668970); Reviewer of Immunotherapy articles at Hospital das Clínicas de São Paulo; Ad hoc reviewer of articles and data on Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) Cell Immunotherapy.
Undergraduate student in Pedagogy at the Federal University of Alagoas (UFAL).
Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Centro Universitário CESMAC; Postgraduate (Lato Sensu) in Psychology and Psychosocial Action from the Federal University of Alagoas (UFAL); Psychologist appointed through federal civil service examination at the Ministry of Health (2010); Psychologist appointed through municipal civil service examination at the Social Assistance Department of the Municipality of Maceió (2013); Psychologist appointed through state civil service examination at UNCISAL (2015); Author of the books “You May Be Gifted and Not Know It” and “The Neurodivergent Spark – Understanding the Giftedness of Jesus in the Apocryphal Gospel of Pseudo-Thomas”.
Bachelor’s degrees in Theology from Universidade La Salle (UNILASALLE), in Pedagogy from the Federal University of Maranhão (UFMA), and in History from Faculdade Única de Ipatinga (FUNIP); Master’s degree in Theology from Faculdade EST.
Bachelor’s degrees in Law from Faculdade Processus (PROCESSUS) and in History from Instituto Superior de Educação Samambaia (IESA); Master’s degrees in International Law from Universidad San Carlos (USC) and in Constitutional Law from Centro de Extensão e Pesquisa do Instituto Brasiliense de Direito Público (CEP/IDP); Master’s student in History at the State University of Southwest Bahia (UESB).
Bachelor’s degrees in Chemistry (Teaching Degree) from the State University of Goiás (UEG) and in Physical Education (Teaching Degree) from Faculdade Albert Einstein (FALBE); Postgraduate (Lato Sensu) in Chemistry from the Federal University of Lavras (UFLA); Master’s student in Education Sciences at Universidad Del Sol (UNADES).
Bachelor’s degree in Pedagogy from the State University of Goiás (UEG); Postgraduate (Lato Sensu) in School Administration from Universidade Candido Mendes (UCAM); Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education from Faculdade Albert Einstein de São Paulo (FAESP); Master’s student in Education Sciences at Universidad Del Sol (UNADES).
Bachelor’s degree in Pedagogy from Faculdade Sucesso (FAS); Undergraduate student in History at the Federal Institute of Amazonas (IFAM); Undergraduate student in Letters (Portuguese) at Centro Universitário Leonardo da Vinci (UNIASSELVI); Undergraduate student in Philosophy at Faculdade Faveni.
Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry (Teaching Degree) from the Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (UFRPE); Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics (Teaching Degree) from Faculdade EDUCAMAIS (EDUCA+); Bachelor’s degree in Pedagogy from the University of Cape Verde (UNICV); Master’s degree in Education Sciences from Word Ecumenical University (WEU); Ph.D. candidate in Education Sciences at Word Ecumenical University (WEU).
Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences from the Federal University of Alagoas (UFAL); Master’s and Ph.D. in Chemistry and Biotechnology from UFAL; Postdoctoral researcher in Biotechnology with emphasis on Molecular Biology (Proteomics) at UFAL.
References
BRASIL. Lei nº 9.610, de 19 de fevereiro de 1998. Altera, atualiza e consolida a legislação sobre direitos autorais e dá outras providências. Brasília, DF: Presidência da República, [1998]. Disponível em: http://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/l9610.htm Acesso em: 8 fev. 2026.
CELLARD, A. Análise Documental In: A pesquisa qualitativa: enfoques epistemológicos e metodológicos. 3. ed. Petrópolis: Vozes, 2012. p. 295-316.
FOUCAULT, M. As palavras e as coisas: uma arqueologia das ciências humanas. Tradução de Salma Tannus Muchail. 9. ed. São Paulo: Martins Fontes, 2007.
GIL, A. C. Como elaborar projetos de pesquisa. 7. ed. São Paulo: Atlas, 2022.
HOLBEIN, Hans, o Jovem. Os Embaixadores (detalhe do crânio em perspectiva lateral). ([1533] 2011]. 1 original, óleo sobre carvalho. Por Thomas Shahan. Disponível em: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Holbein_Skull.jpg Acesso em: 22 fev. 2026.
HOLBEIN, Hans, o Jovem. Os Embaixadores. ([1533] 2012). 1 original, óleo sobre carvalho, 207 cm x 209,5 cm. National Gallery, Londres. [Obra em domínio público]. Disponível em: https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Os_Embaixadores#/media/Ficheiro:Hans_Holbein_the_Younger_-The_Ambassadors-_Google_Art_Project.jpg Acesso em: 21 fev. 2026.
KANT, I. Crítica da razão pura. Tradução de Manuela Pinto dos Santos e Alexandre Fradique Morujão. 5. ed. Lisboa: Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, 2001.
MARCONI, M. A.; LAKATOS, E. M. Metodologia do trabalho científico. 9. ed. São Paulo: Atlas, 2021.
MERLEAU-PONTY, M. Fenomenología De La Percepción. Tradução de Carlos Alberto Ribeiro de Moura. 2. ed. São Paulo: Martins Fontes, 1999.
MINAYO, M. C. S. O desafio do conhecimento: pesquisa qualitativa em saúde. 14. ed. São Paulo: Hucitec, 2014.
NIETZSCHE, F. Sobre verdade e mentira no sentido extra-moral. Tradução de Rubens Rodrigues Torres Filho. Obras incompletas. 4. ed. São Paulo: Nova Cultural, 1987. (Coleção Os Pensadores). p. 51-60.
PANOFSKY, E. Significado nas artes visuais. 3. ed. São Paulo: Perspectiva, 2007.
PLATÃO. A República. Tradução de Carlos Alberto Nunes. 3. ed. Belém: EDUFPA, 2000. p. 389-433.
License
Copyright (c) 2026 RECIMA21 - Revista Científica Multidisciplinar - ISSN 2675-6218
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Os direitos autorais dos artigos/resenhas/TCCs publicados pertecem à revista RECIMA21, e seguem o padrão Creative Commons (CC BY 4.0), permitindo a cópia ou reprodução, desde que cite a fonte e respeite os direitos dos autores e contenham menção aos mesmos nos créditos. Toda e qualquer obra publicada na revista, seu conteúdo é de responsabilidade dos autores, cabendo a RECIMA21 apenas ser o veículo de divulgação, seguindo os padrões nacionais e internacionais de publicação.