Visitatie 1602 - 1604

This is Raffaello Schiaminossi’s ‘Visitatie’, made around 1600 using etching. The composition of this black and white print is structured around the meeting of two groups of figures, divided by a brick wall that vertically punctuates the scene. On the left, we see male figures, and on the right, two women embracing. The linear quality of the etching emphasizes outlines and textures. Notice how Schiaminossi uses hatching and cross-hatching to create tonal variations that model the figures and their drapery. This technique gives volume to the bodies and depth to the folds of the clothes, creating a contrast with the flatter, less detailed background figures. The embrace of the women creates a focal point, underscored by the halos above their heads. The artist's choices in composition guide our eye and structure our reading of the scene, inviting us to reflect on the relationships and spatial dynamics within. Art is a complex language, a structure for meaning, and never a settled truth.