Hans Holbein the Younger (1497-1543) Many great painters during the European Renaissance were good at painting portraits, but Holbein was the only one who devoted his life to portrait painting and achieved unparalleled achievements. In the 15th century, oil painting was popular in many European countries, but the British painting world was still sleeping. It was not until Holbein moved to Britain in 1532 that oil painting began to appear in Britain. Hans Holbein's father was a painter in Augsburg, Germany, known historically as Hans Holbein the Elder. Therefore he is Little Holbein. He learned painting from his father at an early age, and moved to Basel, Switzerland when he was 18. He later traveled to Italy. He once visited Milan, where he saw the works of Leonardo da Vinci. He was deeply influenced by the thoughts and art of the Italian Renaissance masters. At the same time, he was closely associated with German humanists and gradually became a humanist painter. He once painted a portrait of the humanist scholar Erasmus. The main achievement of Holbein's life was to paint portraits. On the basis of inheriting the realism laid by Dürer, he more deeply understood and depicted the complexity, contradiction and peculiarity of the character's character and spiritual temperament. His portraits are extremely realistic, delicate and lifelike, and their texture and sense of space leave a deep impression on the audience. He pays great attention to the depiction of the eyes, making the characters look and feel, and the artistic effect is similar to today's photos. Before the invention of photography, the powerful and famous people in the upper class hoped to truly preserve their own image. In this era, portrait masters such as Holbein were born. His portraits indeed played a leading role in Europe. In 1536, Holbein became the court painter of King Henry VIII of England. Sadly, the plague epidemic in London claimed the life of this 46-year-old master. His main works include "Portrait of Erasmus", "Portrait of German Businessman Gitz", "Ambassadors", "Henry VIII", "Dance of Death", etc.