Temple of Minerva Medica n.d.

Ferdinando Galli Bibiena rendered "Temple of Minerva Medica" using red chalk, a medium favored for its warmth and capacity to capture light. Bibiena, born into a family of artists, became renowned for his theatrical designs, and here, the architectural rendering of a ruin becomes a stage in itself. The choice of the Temple of Minerva Medica is not accidental; ruins were potent symbols in the 17th and 18th centuries. This was a time when the educated European was keenly aware of the rise and fall of empires. Through a lens of gender, Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom and strategic warfare, presides over this crumbling structure. The emotional impact of this drawing lies in its gentle rendering, which evokes a feeling of melancholy. Bibiena asks us to consider what it means for a society when its pillars of wisdom and strategy are left to decay. This artwork subtly critiques the structures of power and knowledge, while inviting reflection on the transient nature of human achievement.