Life of Christ. Eglise Saint-Sulpice de Fougères (detail) 1919

Editor: So this detail is from a larger piece entitled "Life of Christ" in the Église Saint-Sulpice de Fougères by Ludovic Alleaume from 1919. It's a stained glass mural, and it reminds me a lot of medieval art with its narrative depiction and the way the figures are arranged. What jumps out at you? Curator: It's fascinating how Alleaume, in 1919, looked back to the visual language of medieval art, specifically stained glass, during a period marked by intense social and political upheaval after the first world war. Do you see how this choice might function as a deliberate commentary on societal values? Editor: That's interesting! It feels like a way of invoking the past. Is he using medieval aesthetics to offer stability? Curator: Precisely. Religious institutions held a vital social function then, and this recalls them. What effect do you think that has? Is this accessible? Or maybe elitist in a way? Editor: I see what you mean. On one hand, religious art is public art, in a way. But these stained-glass murals often require a level of cultural literacy, or familiarity, to fully appreciate the themes or figures depicted. Otherwise, it's beautiful, but inscrutable. Curator: The positioning within a church is no accident. Alleaume consciously chooses a very specific public context for a piece meant to convey and influence shared social memory. How is the sacred space of a church working for the viewers then? Editor: Okay, so he's making art about Christ, in church, but thinking about audiences' values...almost shaping those values, using historical art styles as a base? Curator: Yes, and considering how the function of the artwork as a teaching instrument shifts within our modern gaze. Editor: I never considered how powerful an image in a sacred space could be in guiding a society’s principles! Curator: Considering the political implication art has gives me a more tangible point of view on what it truly signifies!