Saint Phaphnutius c. 17th century

Editor: This etching is Jacques Callot's "Saint Phaphnutius." It's quite small. The saint is pushing a body on a wheelbarrow, maybe to a small house. What do you see in this piece that I might be missing? Curator: Callot's work here, though depicting a saint, invites us to consider the social realities of 17th-century Europe. Famine, disease, and war were rampant. Is Phaphnutius offering aid, or simply removing a burden from society? Think about power structures, about who is remembered and who is forgotten. Editor: So, it's not just about piety but about the structures that create suffering? Curator: Exactly. Callot compels us to question the systems at play, then and now. Editor: That gives me a lot to consider. Thanks! Curator: My pleasure. Keep questioning.