Two Bearded Heads n.d.

Curator: First impressions? These two studies in red chalk have such presence. Editor: Melancholy, definitely melancholy. It’s like looking at ancient philosophers caught in a moment of…profound resignation. Or maybe they're just tired. Curator: Ha! Well, these studies, entitled "Two Bearded Heads," are attributed to Pietro Dandini, and were created during the Renaissance. The piece, a drawing, demonstrates the prevailing techniques in workshops during that period, focusing on the development of skilled draftsmen and the reuse of paper due to cost of material, though given its location in The Art Institute of Chicago we might ask about it's original source, patronage and displacement through historical trade. Editor: Right. Thinking about it, that chalk...it looks almost like dried blood, giving this almost ghostly aura to these two fellows. I mean, the drawing is gorgeous and refined but there's such rawness to it, what is the scale like? Curator: It's difficult to tell from just viewing it in digital form, however based on comparison it is likely modestly scaled. Think of it as something one might hold, circulate, and trace over, which makes you wonder about its production. The textures created with the chalk, combined with its size suggest a certain intimacy. Do you find that surprising given their seemingly ‘monumental’ appearances? Editor: Absolutely! It’s easy to forget the human touch that goes into even grand artistic visions. Thinking about artistic production, imagine the physical labor to create paper in the Italian Renaissance; a world where those red earths came at human cost too! Then, somebody is breathing life into these characters by hand, in the blink of an eye; it makes me wonder how quickly these were actually made, and why? Curator: It reminds us that artistic genius often lies not just in the grand concept, but in the mundane reality of repetitive practice, production and technique. A constant negotiation between the mind and the material that requires so much hard graft. Editor: Beautifully said! It's kind of comforting, really. The grand old masters, just like us, wrestling with material limitations. Curator: And the persistent human condition of feeling, of labouring, of facing limitations…a truth rendered starkly by the economy of chalk on paper. Thanks for pointing that out. Editor: Thanks for highlighting the world behind their creation, I'd be keen to come and try sketching using the same methods someday!