Figures before an Altar 1685 - 1733

Editor: Here we have "Figures before an Altar," a drawing/print by Bernard Picart, sometime between 1685 and 1733. The figures have such a sense of stillness and classical grace. What do you make of it? Curator: Well, the overall tone reminds me of those bittersweet moments in Greek tragedies—a certain somber beauty clinging to the precipice of disaster. Do you see how Picart uses line to create such a delicate, almost fragile atmosphere? The scene has such order. I see it as an imagined representation of an ancient ritual. It could just as easily depict ladies quietly heading off for tea. Editor: Ritual is an interesting observation. The figures almost seem suspended between movement and complete stasis, especially with their mournful faces. Is it the subject, do you think, or is there something else giving it that air? Curator: It's a potent combination, don’t you think? Look how the draping of the fabrics emphasizes their shapes. Picart isn't merely depicting a scene, he's creating a stage. He wants us to contemplate their humanity, their grief. We should ask ourselves what sacrifices were required back then? The altar symbolizes this. Do we sacrifice now, too? Editor: I see what you mean about staging and contemplating their emotions. I hadn’t really picked up on that before! Curator: Precisely. Now you have found a piece of history with which you are having a conversation. And isn't that grand?