Italian Joust of Peace c. 1512 - 1515

Curator: Hmm, a medieval mosh pit. Editor: Indeed, but let's call it Italian Joust of Peace, circa 1512-1515. The piece, made using watercolor and coloured pencil, captures quite the spirited competition. Curator: Spirited is putting it mildly! Look at that knight in red flailing, and the one in green looks like he’s about to face-plant. I get the impression the 'peace' part is ironic. The drawing itself has an oddly flat feel, like a stage set that’s been knocked over. Editor: Yes, the depth is deliberately ambiguous. The planes flatten out against one another to create a very shallow picture space. This tension heightens the immediacy of the depicted event. Note the detail given to the ornamentation, armor, and the broken lances— the shattered weapons point towards some greater symbolic disruption of order. Curator: Totally, like Renaissance road rage. And it's got that slightly unsettling quality of medieval art, where everyone's either hyper-stylized or caught in a bizarre moment of expression. The use of coloured pencil and watercolor is particularly well-done for achieving this quality in this composition. Editor: Notice, too, how the joust functions almost as a tableau. The action freezes for us, presenting a symbolic microcosm of societal forces at play. Curator: Well, I think I'd rather witness this from afar. Give me front row seats and a beverage, maybe. Still, there's something wonderfully absurd and honest about this snapshot of 'peaceful' competition, a chaotic blend of violence and vibrant artistry that tickles me silly. Editor: It does capture an almost carnivalesque quality, and yet this "Italian Joust of Peace" manages to say so much about social tension, human fallibility, and the performative aspects of power through something as ostensibly frivolous as a joust. Quite fascinating, wouldn't you agree?