The Ambassadors (Holbein) been hypothesized that the painting is meant to hang in a stairwell, so that persons walking up the stairs and passing the painting on their left would be startled by the appearance of the skull. A further possibility is that Holbein simply wished to show off his ability with the technique in order to secure future commissions. Artists often incorporated skulls as a reminder of mortality. Holbein may have intended the skulls (one as a gray slash and the other as a medallion on Jean de Dinteville's hat) and the crucifix in the upper left corner to encourage contemplation of
Love at the Bottom of the Sea first release with Merge since 1999's "69 Love Songs". After releasing three albums relatively free of synthesizers as part of a "no-synth trilogy" (2004's "i", 2008's "Distortion", and 2010's "Realism"), "Love at the Bottom of the Sea" features the blend of acoustic and synthesized instruments that the band was known for in the 1990s. Stephin Merritt claims he took a fresh approach with the instrumentation, stating "Most of the synthesizers on the record didn't exist when we were last using synthesizers." All of the tracks on the album are less than three minutes long. "Love at the Bottom of the